Keeping You The Same
by FireStorm00X
Summary: Sequel to Turning You Into Someone New. Life is moving on for everyone. Things are wonderful for the most part. Harry and Draco begin to plan their future together while Hermione and Theo accidentally start their family. Life is love and love is life.
1. Summer and Pine Trees

**This is the main sequel to "Turning You Into Someone New" a 55 chapter story that depictes a journey of love and loss. (haha, I sound so dramatic!)  
I recomend reading TYISN but it's not totally necessary.  
If you don't read TYISN, here are some things you really need to know:**

**Draco and Harry are dating  
Blaise Zabini and Ron are dating  
Hermione and Theo are dating  
Narcissa Malfoy is dead  
Narcissa and Severus Snape had an affiar and a baby named Chael (born February 1)  
Pansy Parkinson is missing in action  
War is over  
Voldemort was defeated (duh)  
We're all on pins and needles about Sirius Black returning  
Dumbledore is kind of a penis but not really  
Violet is Pansy's older sister  
Julian is Draco's cousin and dating another OC named Azriel Snow, a part nymph with a fiesty temper, (spin off "Inexplicable" to be out soon-ish)  
They (Julian and Azriel) have a son called Zav  
The gang is entering their 7th year**

**If you have questions just PM me and I'll answer them. **

Warnings: Smut, language, Slash (M/M), Het (M/F), Cigarettes, Drinking and Draco  
Rated: M!  
Pairings: HPDM, RWBZ, TNHG, (OC/OC), PP?, SBRM (yeah, I'm throwing that in too!)...that's all so far **  
ENJOY!**

**

* * *

::June 30th::**

Nothing said "middle of summer" like a pine tree in the middle of the room. Harry, sitting next to the door smoking a cigarette with Draco, stared at the massive tree for a few minutes and tried to figure out what exactly the point of it was.

Twenty six days ago his Sixth year had ended and he had returned to Southern England with Draco and their gang. In just over three weeks Harry had picked up the singular bad habit of smoking. He did not mind it, never had really, but he had started smoking shortly after starting his summer homework.

Hermione and Ron did not mind but he doubted they would pick it up.

As it was, Blaise Zabini stood atop a wooden ladder tying strings of silver and platinum on the branches. Harry did not understand, in fact, he was impressively confused but Draco and Blaise were shouting at each other in what Harry assumed to be Italian and he didn't want to interfere.

Deep within the Zabini Manor Harry heard a door slam. Probably Theo, he thought and checked to see if Draco was still holding their cigarette.

Theo entered the main hall, took a quick look at the tree and ignored it otherwise.

"What's going on?"

Theo sighed, "There's still nothing from Pansy or Lucius."

"Still?" Draco sat up.

Lucius had returned to Krakow and was waiting there for Pansy. It had been nearly sixteen days since he had floo'd over from the manor in Dublin and nothing had been heard since. Theo, who preferred quick, clean answers to things, was annoyed most by this.

"Nothing," Theo confirmed.

"Well, shit," Blaise said and climbed down the ladder. More than half the tree was spotted in the silver strings and Ron entered from another room carrying a large box of blue and red and green stars.

"I know."

There was a massive noise from the entrance to the house and the kids jumped up and left the ballroom to see what had happened. They found the front door and Desdemona, screaming at the doors.

"You get the bloody hell out of here you selfish arse!"

Through the doors someone shouted back, "Let me in my house you psychotic wretch!"

The doors flew open and a man of well over six feet in height stood there looking furious. He was just like Blaise. Tall, dark, with the same wild hair and eyes and the strange configuration of features that made him attractive but almost inhuman.

Desdemona whirled around to him and glared, "You died sixteen years ago."

"Ha," he laughed angrily, "You're a fool Dez."

"Then what happened to you?"

"What do you think?" He asked, "We were married for three days when you told me you were pregnant, I was eighteen and there was a war going on. I may never have been the most mature snake in the den but dammit if that's not a lot for anyone to handle."

"That's complete dragon dung," she snapped, "I was seventeen and by Merlin I raised our son and I was alone. It was not too much you were just a scared little girl who ran away from responsibility."

"So what if I did?" He shouted back, "I got scared, I ran away and if you hadn't come to Athens and found me I would never have come back. Are you happy? I admitted that I'm a failure father, husband and human, what more do you want?"

She glared at him, "You have to face our son and admit to him what you did."

"I don't want to see him," the man snarled.

"Too late," Desdemona turned and pointed to Blaise.

The man went rigid and his eyes moved to his son. There was a heavy silence. The young snake stared at the elder and almost glared while his father tried very hard not to look as angry as he was.

"Blaise, this is your father, Ridex."

Blaise stepped forward, carefully.

Ridex, an angry man if ever Harry had seen one, looked the boy up and down before he spoke, "You are my son?"

Blaise nodded.

Draco, concern on his face, stepped up next to Blaise.

Desdemona glared at Ridex, "For Merlin's sake he's your son, not a stranger."

Ridex snarled at her, "You gave him my father's name?"

"And yours," she said almost as a barb, "He's just like you and you have to accept him."

The man glared at her, "I wonder why I loved you."

"This isn't about us," she reminded him, "It is about you and your son."

"This is indeed about us," he said, "What happened between us is something we have to deal with and…" he paused and looked away from her, "I heard you're remarrying."

She nodded.

"It's illegal though…we're still married."

"England pronounced you dead," she told him, "As long as the marriage is in England it's perfectly legal."

He frowned, "Without a body they pronounced me dead?"

"It happens," she said.

Blaise interrupted, "Hold on for one bloody second. You're my father?"

Ridex turned to the boy, "So your mother claims."

Blaise glared, "I spent my whole life wondering if she loved you, I worried about how she killed you and what she told me about it. I cannot remember you; I was so upset that I couldn't remember you because I thought I would never have a chance to see what kind of person you were. Now I've met you and I wish I hadn't, you ran away and maybe my mother isn't perfect but you abandoned her and me. You're such a disgrace."

Ridex glared back and it was eerie how similar they looked.

"Do not lecture me on honor and disgrace," he said, "Do not assume I do not recognize the Malfoy boy behind you and a son of Weasley no doubt. Disgrace is in your actions as much as mine."

Blaise flared with anger, "Shut up you selfish coward. My friends are not a source of disgrace or dishonor. Draco is more my family than you are and Ron," his glare grew, "Is my boyfriend and I care about him deeply. He has shown more concern for me than you ever did and so those that I surround myself with are better than you, not disgraceful."

Ridex sneered.

"I could care less about your boyfriends and teenage dramatics, Blaise, you're nearly seventeen and you act like a child."

"You're more than twice my age and just as juvenile."

Ridex snarled and turned to Desdemona, "Bloody good job raising it, I can see you're a talented and capable mother" he said sarcastically and looked at the house for a half-second, "You can keep this dump, I'm leaving."

"No," Blaise stormed after him, "You cannot waltz into my life for three minutes and jump back out again. No, you stop walking right the hell now and explain to me what the fuck you were thinking!"

Ridex turned sharply, "You want to know what I was thinking? I was thinking that, at eighteen, I was not even suited to hold a job much less raise a child. I was a drug addict, a drinker, a smoker and a lazy bum who had just inherited sixty-eight million from his new dead parents. I got Dezzy pregnant on her graduation from Hogwarts, we got married and you know what, I was not ready for that either. I didn't know she was pregnant until I was trapped in a life-long marriage to her. I ran away. I hated the idea was wasting my life on a stupid brat like you. I left her ten million and walked out the door. I never wanted to come back here or see her or you until she showed up in Athens and told me I had to come back. Sixteen years since I saw that witch and she threatened me and disappeared. If I had known you were her I would have just let her leave but it's too damn late now."

"You're right," Blaise snarled, "It's too late so you better get used to knowing what I look like and knowing that any chance you had of having a son who loves you is long gone."

Ridex glared at him in silence, turned and walked out the doors.

They slammed behind him.

"Bastard," Blaise growled.

Desdemona sighed, "Blaise, please calm down."

"No, I won't, why did you bring him here?"

"I did not know Ridex was alive until yesterday. I was in Athens looking for wedding gowns when I saw him. I didn't think it was true, at first, that he was alive and right there in front of me but it was and, Merlin, Blaise it was hard for me. I loved your father so much, I didn't care about his drinking or drugs or anything that he did. He was fun and wonderful and artistic and dangerous. When he disappeared I was so scared but I knew that if I had part of him with me, you, I could be okay. You're an amazing boy, Blaise, and nothing he said about you has any merit." Desdemona looked out the window by the door, "He's an artist now, and he paints and lives easily off his inheritance. Ridex was never responsible but that doesn't matter. Darling, you must forgive him…perhaps in a few days he'll calm down too."

"Why do you want me to know him? He's despicable."

"He is still young, like you, and rash and temperamental."

"He's a prick."

"You spoke the same way of those who are now you're dear friends," she said with a motion to the Gryffindors.

Blaise refused to budge on the subject, "I don't like him."

"I-"

"At least when he was dead I could imagine he was a nice man."

"He is-"

"No, I don't want to talk about it anymore."

* * *

**RAWR!**

**I know you're mad for the length but I have Ch 2 written and waiting.**

**One week, lovies.**

**You know what I enjoy?  
**

**Blaise: Fucking with my life?**

**FireStorm: Besides that**

**Draco: Letting me sex Harry?**

**FireStorm: Besides that.**

**Hermione: Avoiding letting me sex Theo.**

**Theo::bluuuush::**

**FireStorm: Well...ehm...I-uh**

**Blaise: Is it reviews?**

**FireStorm: YES! It's reviews!**

**Draco:...I prefer sex**

**FireStorm: Well, don't we all?**

**Hermione: I WOULD if you would let me.**

**Theo: Really, I don't think we should publisize our-**

**Hermione: Hey, I may be a book worm but I have needs and-**

**FireStorm: Well...that's nice but 'Mione, honey, we're getting there. I have to ease into this smut thing**

**Hermione: Fine.**

**LOVE!  
FireStorm and the Gang**


	2. Hella Department of Mysteries and food

**::4 July::**

Harry walked.

It was crowded at the Ministry and everyone seemed to be watching him. Remus and Draco were on either side of him and Severus walked behind them, glaring. Dumbledore in all his authority, walked ahead of them, parting the seas of people. The Department of Mysteries loomed as an unseen challenge. They approached the door and Aurors let them through.

In all the chaos of the post-war Harry had not been able to return to the veil until now. He desperately worried that it was too late. Nearly five months had passed and he was almost sure Sirius was lost again. They entered the room and stood before the veil for a moment. It was quiet and moved in a breeze that no one could feel.

"We're too late," Harry sighed and stared at the ground, "Sirius isn't coming back, is he?"

Draco turned to him, "No, my mother would make sure he could come back. She wouldn't leave Sirius in there and lie to you."

Remus put a hand on Harry's shoulder, "Sirius will come back, do not fear, Harry."

The veil moved.

Dumbledore smiled softly.

A sudden motion caught their eye and, as if someone shoved him, Sirius fell through the veil and landed hard on his back.

"Merlin!" Remus ran to his side, "Sirius, are you okay?"

The man blinked a few times, "I-I can't see. Remus, Merlin, I cannot see."

Harry ran to Sirius, "Thank Merlin you're okay!"

"Harry, my boy!" Sirius turned, eyes staring blankly and held out his hands for his godson. Harry smiled and silently thanked Narcissa while he tried not to cry.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I-I am okay but I still can't see anything." Sirius said and turned his head as if a new angle would help.

"After not using your eyes for more than a year that is to be expected, your eyesight will return in a few days, Black." Severus said.

"What? Snivellus? What are you doing here."

Harry smiled, "It's okay Sirius, don't worry, Snape's a friend."

"What?" Sirius turned quickly, grabbing the young wizard by the shoulders, "That git is our friend? What happened there? Oh, Merlin! What has happened with the war? Is everything okay? Why do you smell like smoke?"

Harry chuckled, "It's a habit I picked up," He and Remus helped Sirius stand, "Everything is fine."

"Who else is here?" Sirius asked, his dark eyes rolled around, trying to see but unable and they passed over all the people, the room, without stopping. "I can smell them…"

"Dumbledore and my boyfriend."

"You're wha?"

"My boyfriend, Draco Malfoy."

Draco stepped up, "Hello Sirius."

"My cousin Draco Malfoy? You're dating…does Lucius know?"

"Yes," Harry smiled and they began to leave, "We'll explain everything once we get back to Head Quarters."

Sirius nodded.

Getting out was less complicated than Harry expected, Aurors surrounded them within milliseconds of exiting the Department and they were thus surrounded until they reached the apparition point.

Upon reaching Number 12 they sat Sirius down in the living room and Remus quickly went to make tea.

"The war is over, Sirius."

"What?"

"It ended in March when Narcissa Malfoy sacrificed her life to destroy the Dark Lord."

"She did what?"

Harry, with help from Dumbledore and Draco, explained the Keeper situation, the attacks and the final battle.

Remus entered and handed Sirius a large mug, "This will help."

Above them Chael awoke and cried.

Severus stood, looked around wildly and then seated himself when Blaise came downstairs with Chael in his arms.

"What is that?" Sirius asked.

"That's Chael Kieren Malfoy Snape," Remus smiled, "Severus and Narcissa's son."

"What?" Sirius whirled his head around to try and pinpoint the baby and or Severus. "Snivellus had a kid?"

Chael quieted and giggle loudly as he was placed in his father's arms.

Blaise sat next to his Head of House.

"He did," Albus said, "Chael is just over six months old."

"So…Narcissa died really soon after the boy was born…" Sirius was quiet for a moment, "I'm sorry for your loss Snape."

Snape remained silent.

"How did you end up dating my cousin, Harry?"

Harry laughed and explained the story.

"…in October it'll be a year and I couldn't be happier."

Draco smiled.

Sirius nodded, "I'm glad you're happy." He blinked a few times, "Has anything else happened?"

"My cousin," Draco said, "Julian, is going with Lord Azriel Snow."

"Son of Agereon Snow? I thought he and his sons died a few years ago."

"Agereon died and Azriel killed Arden, Agereon's murderer."

Sirius nodded. "And this cousin of yours, Julian, was he not a servant of Voldemort's?"

"He was," Draco nodded, "But not by choice."

Draco went on to explain the situation and the events leading up to the current moment in regards to his cousin and Lord Snow.

Sirius smiled, "You have an interesting cousin, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco laughed.

"I have a colorful family, Sirius."

The door opened and they heard voices approaching. Fred, George, Ron, Ginny and Hermione entered smiling.

The lions gasped and flocked to Sirius.

"You're alive!" Hermione hugged him.

"What?" Sirius' eyes darted around at the voices but he smiled when he realized it was mostly Weasleys. "Oh, Merlin, hello children." He laughed, "I cannot see right now but I'm glad you're here."

"What? Why can't you see?" Ron asked. He stood next to Blaise and almost put an arm around him but stopped upon realizing his family was present.

"His eyes weren't used beyond the veil so they stopped working. Snape says it'll come back in a few days," Blaise explained.

Sirius nodded, "I hope he's right. My sense of smell can only get me so far."

"Tell me Sirius," Dumbledore said, "What was it like beyond the veil?"

The man frowned, "I-I don't remember. I know I was sent through and I remember thinking I could never forgive myself if Harry was hurt because I was knocked out of the fight. I remember worrying about Remus and about everything. The next thing I know I'm back out, like no time passed at all."

"The veil," Blaise spoke up, "Is an artifact dating from the Dark Ages and was used as prison for those convicted of great crimes against the wizarding world. It's part other dimension and part holding cell. Things can go in but as far as any records show Sirius is the first thing to come out. They're going to have to monitor it for a while to make sure it hasn't caused a reverse effect and the veil starts spitting out badies again."

Sirius frowned, "Who was that?"

"Blaise Zabini," he smiled, "Desdemona's son."

"I remember, you're Ridex's boy."

"That too," Blaise admitted.

Sirius laughed, "Ridex may have been a Slytherin but he threw the best parties. Do you remember we went to one in Sixth year, Remy? It was the one with-with all the naked girls and-" he paused, coughed and stopped grinning, "I mean…uh."

The room erupted in laughter.

Remus lay one hand on Sirius' shoulder, "You should rest soon, Sirius."

"I'm fine," he insisted and then paused, "But now that you mention it I am tired."

"You lost a year of your life," Draco said, "Of course you're tired."

Sirius stood and Remus led him upstairs.

Fred and George took the newly vacated seats and Ginny sat on the arm of that couch.

"So, Ron," the smirked at their younger brother.

Snape could tell he did not want to be present and exited. Dumbledore too left after bidding them good-bye.

Ron cocked his head to the side and looked at his brothers, "What?"

"We came in to check on you last night-"

"-probably around one thirty-"

"-and what do you know-"

"-you weren't there." They spoke together and gave him an expectant look.

"Now-"

"-any regular person-"

"-would suspect you were simply out for a pee-"

"-but a half hour later-"

"-you were still-"

"-nowhere to be found." They finished.

"So-"

"-where were you?"

Ron turned bright red, "I-uhm-I was…uhm."

Fred and George smirked. "Nervous Ronnie?"

"I-uhm," he shrugged, "I was, uhm."

Draco and Blaise exchanged a look. Blaise elbowed his boyfriend in the rubs. Ron turned quickly to look at him with both fear and questioning on his face. "What?"

"You should probably just say it," Blaise whispered. Ron turned a very dark shade of red.

"What?" Fred and George leaned in curiously.

"I-I was with Blaise." He said.

"Oh?" They leaned back and raised they eyebrows, looking between the two boys.

"Yeah-uhm, we've been going together for a while now."

"Ooooh," the twins grinned, "Do mum and dad know?"

"No," he said, "And-"

The front door opened and they heard the Weasley parents enter.

"Really Arthur, we don't have to bring a bunch of Aurors with us now. The war is over and we were just getting groceries. It wouldn't have taken an hour and a half if you had stopped playing with the cereal boxes."

They passed the living room and paused to look at the gathering of children.

"Hello kids."

"Ronald, why are you so red?" Molly dropped her bags and went to his side, "Are you getting sick? Come here."

Blaise shifted away from Ron and let his mother inspect him.

"He's fine mum," the twins grinned, "Just embarrassed."

"What did you two do to him?" she turned on them.

"Nothing!"

Someone came down the stairs. "Hey Blaise, are these your clothes or Ron's?" Theo walked in and stopped dead when he saw the parents. "Oh, hello Mr. and Mrs. Weasley."

Molly looked at the clothes, "Ronald, why are your clothes all mixed up with his?"

There was a heavy silence before the twins broke up laughing.

Theo stepped in, "Sorry, I was doing the laundry and mixed them up."

Blaise stood and sorted them out, "All this is mine and that's Ron's."

"Thanks," Theo took the basket back upstairs and Hermione stood.

"I'll go help him sort everything else."

She dashed up after him.

Molly turned back to the twins, "I'll never understand you two."

She no longer hated the Slytherins but she did not trust them either. She had quickly learned about Draco and Harry and was warming to the blonde but Theodore and Blaise seemed strange hangers-on to her. She was not sure why they were at Number 12 and she thought it strange. They were only there for eight days and only to help clean and prepare for Sirius' return and to help him get settled when he returned but she did not like it. She eyed Blaise for a half second before she walked into the hall.

"Dinner will be ready in a half hour, Ronald, could you and Harry set the table in a little while?"

"Yes mum."

She and Arthur disappeared down the hall and the twins turned back to Ron.

"Why are your clothes really mixed up?"

"Why do yours get mixed up? Blaise asked.

"Because we get undressed at the same time every night and they just sort of…" the twins trailed off, "Oh."

The Italian smirked.

"Ginny, did you know about this?" The twins turned to her.

She nodded, "Word hasn't gotten out about those two yet," she pointed to Harry and Draco.

The twins whipped their heads around, "What?"

Harry laughed, "We've been together for nearly a year, Forge, you didn't know?"

"No."

Draco smiled softly. "Now you know."

"We sure do."

"Boys, set the table!"

Ron and Harry left, smiling, to set the table as ordered.

Inside the kitchen they were surrounded by the clatter of pots and pans and the warmth of cooking. They pulled dishes from the cupboards.

"Boys," she turned, "How was your day?"

"Good," Harry smiled, "We got Sirius and he's resting now but we can wake him for dinner I'm sure."

"Oh good," Molly smiled. "Ron?"

He shrugged, "I spent most of the day lying in bed and reading."

"What were you reading?" She asked and Harry couldn't tell if it was out of surprise or for the sake of the conversation.

"Just uh-a school book."

She turned, "Don't lie to me Ronald."

He turned red, "It was nothing interesting, just a book mum."

She huffed.

Harry leaned close to Ron, "What was it?"

"Blaise read to me in Italian," he admitted sheepishly.

"All day?"

"Well…" Ron turned a deeper red, "He sounds really hot when he speaks Italian."

Harry burst out laughing.

"Shut up Harry," Ron could not help but smile too.

Molly turned, "What's so funny?"

"Ron said something really cute, Mrs. Weasley," Harry laughed and Ron elbowed him.

"You're a prat."

"What did you call him?" Draco entered and went to Harry's side, wrapping his arms around the lion, "Don't make fun of my boyfriend, Ron, or I'll kick you in the shin."

Ron laughed, "It's better than waking me up by throwing Christmas baubles at me."

Draco laughed too.

A week prior, Ron and Blaise had slept in for six hours. At noon Draco had planned for them to go out and have lunch but neither boy was awake at half past eleven. He found a box of ornaments, walked into their room and started hucking them. Ron and Blaise had screamed like little girls and hid for twenty minutes before rolling out of bed and accompanying the group to lunch.

"What happened?"

"We were all going out to lunch and your son refused to wake up so I took to alternative methods," Draco smiled and hugged Harry a little tighter. The Boy Wonder turned his head, kissed Draco's forehead and moved to set more places. Draco let go and walked to the food, "It all smells so good Mrs. Weasley."

"Thank-you Draco," she smiled at him.

"Do you think you could teach me to cook sometime? Or, maybe I could start helping you?" He asked.

"Well of course," her smile brightened.

"My mother always had the elves cook and she never had time to teach me that sort of thing. Of course Father refused to let me in the kitchen during the holiday season…or any time of year really. He thought I would eat too much and get pudgy." Draco giggled, "I would too."

Mrs. Weasley patted his shoulder, "You're so scrawny though! You should eat more and bulk up, then you won't be cold when winter comes."

Draco smiled too, "Oh yes ma'am but I hardly ever get meals cooked by a mother, I mean, usually we just have the elves prepare us something or we go out and eat."

"Oh you poor thing," she gasped, "You and Harry and everyone absolutely must come to the Burrow for Sunday dinners. We'll get the twins to come home and Percy and Bill and Fluer and Charlie will all come and we can all get together. Oh! We'll have Sirius and Remus and Tonks and Albus all come for dinner too! It'll be just a great big gathering and everyone can come and enjoy themselves."

"That's a large gathering for every week Mrs. Weasley." Draco reminded her, "Twenty some people including you and your husband. Maybe you should have the gathering at the Malfoy Manor here in London, we have a very large dining room and a great big kitchen you could use."

She thought about it for a second. "That's a wonderful idea, Draco, we'll have one there and then perhaps we can tone it down and just you and the boys and Hermione can come to the Burrow the next week."

"Wonderful thinking Mrs. Weasley."

"Oh!" She gasped, "It will be a welcome home feast for Sirius, next Saturday, oh what a great idea! We can call in Andromeda and Ted too," she smiled, "I'll owl them right after dinner."

Draco hopped up and down, "I haven't seen Aunt Andromeda in ages!"

Molly smiled.

"Good, I'll set it up right away."

* * *

**I promised a longer chapter and you got it.**

**The first chapter got a great response, I'm so glad!**

**You find out what the tree is for later on. I just really liked that openeing line 'nothing said middle of summer like a pine tree.'**

**Draco: Bloody tree shed everywhere and now I can't walk barefoot.**

**Harry: You shouldn't walk barefoot to begin with, who knows what's on the floors of Blaise's house.**

**Blaise: Hey, my floors are cleaner than yours, slut**

**Harry: I beg to differ, I have no floors to clean and thus they are infinitely more clean.**

**Blaise: Damn you and your logic skills.**

**Harry: skillz, skillz Blaise.**

**Draco: You're a loser**

**Harry: lozer, darling, lozer**

**Draco: What is your obsession with Zs?**

**Harry: They're so cool! I want to change my name to Harryz**

**Draco::dies::**

**Blaise: Harry-**

**Harry: Harryz!**

**Blaise: FINE! Harryz, your boyfriend is dead, you should check on that**

**FireStorm: Yeeeeeeeah...**

**LOVE!  
FireStorm and the Gang**


	3. Wizengamot!

**::10 July::**

"Welcome," Draco stood at the door welcoming guests.

They entered and were immediately looking at a twelve foot high painting of Hawk Malfoy. It sat on a huge marble wall above an ornate fire place and surrounded by chairs and couches. Hawk was young, perhaps twenty five, and wild. His large green-grey eyes offset the heavy black of his lashes. He had short, spiked white hair and a snarl that matched anything Draco could pull off. Hawk watched people enter and glared when they got too close.

Sirius burst into the house and grinned. His sight had returned and he had been acting like a teenager ever since. He laughed and hugged Draco.

"Hello m'boy, how are you? Good? Good, I love this house!"

Draco smiled politely, "Come in cousin, the sitting room is just to the left and we shall be there until dinner begins at half past seven."

Sirius patted his shoulder. "Right-o. What are we having?"

"Mrs. Weasley is making a trio of roast turkeys and all the accompaniments."

"That sounds fantastic," Sirius grinned, "Who is here so far?"

"You and Remus," he smiled to the blonde werewolf, "Nymphedora and the Head Master are here as well as Ron, Blaise, Harry, Hermione and Theo. The twins, Ginny and the rest of the Weasley clan are set to arrive in just a few moments."

"Splendid," Sirius grinned and led Remus into the sitting room.

The sitting room itself was large and beautiful. The walls were dark wood with paintings spaced between large windows that looked over the rich green fields surrounding the manor. A herd of horses grazed in the evening light and a happy fire blazed in the silver and slate fireplace.

Ron and Blaise were sitting together, Blaise had his legs thrown over Ron's and they were leaning into one another, sharing a large mug of butterbeer. Hermione and Theo were holding hands on a small love seat made of soft green fabric and dark wood to match the walls. They shared a smile every so often. Tonks was standing in front of a painting with Albus to her left, they discussed something with the man inside the frame and laughed with him.

Sirius entered and took a seat in a high backed chair that matched the love seat and couches. Remus rested himself on the arm and smiled as Sirius started up a lively discussion.

"So tell me," he started, "When did that start up?" he pointed to the Italian and Ron.

Ron blushed.

"In November," Blaise said proudly, "And I think he's wonderful."

Ron blushed a darker red. "Thank-you."

Blaise's grin widened. "Ain't he adorable?"

Draco entered, "How many times have I told you that 'ain't' is not a word."

Blaise stuck out his tongue, "You're just jealous that my mother didn't stifle me like your parents did."

Draco rolled his eyes.

A series of whooshes indicated the arrival of the main Weasley clan. Blaise and Hermione quickly switched places before everyone walked in. The twins, with awed expressions, entered first with Ginny close behind. Arthur was with Charlie and Percy while Bill and Fleur entered last.

Draco greeted them all, kissing Fleur on the cheek.

She smiled at him, "Hello cousin," she said.

"It's been too long Fleur," he smiled back at her.

Harry walked in with a large tray of drinks, "Oh!" he set the tray down on the coffee table and greeted the Weasleys.

"Please, sit down," he motioned to the many couches. He distributed drinks and then asked if they wanted anything.

Sirius smiled at his godson.

Harry and Draco shared a smile before the Boy Wonder went into the kitchen to get people their drinks.

"Who all has yet to arrive?"

"Severus, Chael, Zav, Azriel and Julian as well as Aunt Andromeda and Uncle Ted."

"Not too many," Sirius smiled. He was very excited for the gathering, being a social creature as he was.

Molly walked in, a cooking spoon in hand, "Boys!" she hugged her older sons and smiled warmly to them. "Ginny, come help me in the kitchen."

"Might I help as well?" Hermione stood up.

"Of course!" Molly sounded happy and gave Fleur a slightly disapproving look before she led the two girls into the kitchen.

Fleur, dressed in a short white dress with her long hair pinned up, seated herself and smiled warmly to her soon-to-be family.

Outside the sitting room a knock on the door signaled the arrival of more guests. Draco left and ushered in Azriel, Julian and the bouncing young child known as Zav. He rushed in, spotted Sirius and ran up to him.

Sirius smiled and leaned over to come face to face with the little boy.

"Hello," Zav near shouted and his sharp little teeth showed beneath his thin lips.

"Why hello there little Lord," the common title for children of purebloods seemed strange to Draco. He had been called little Lord or young Lord his whole life but it was odd when applied to the wild Night Snow babe.

"My name is Zaverius Azriel Snow," He smiled, "My father says I am to call you Uncle Sirius because you are of my blood."

"We do share blood, little one, my cousin is also your cousin and so we are connected through our Lord Host Draco," Sirius nodded and motioned to Draco.

Zav, in his harsh voice and with his sharp eyes, turned to Draco and said, "Hello cousin Draco."

Draco knelt, "Hello cousin Zaverius. Would you like anything to drink?"

"I would indeed," he said and hoisted himself into Sirius' lap and the older man laughed, "I think a glass of apple juice would be most delicious."

Draco nodded and went to tell Harry.

Sirius patted the small boy on the head, "Now tell me, how old are you now?"

"I shall be four and six months in three weeks and three days."

"My, my, what an age to be," Sirius smiled.

Az and Julian took seats and laughed at the interaction.

Draco left the kitchen just in time to see Andromeda and Ted enter. Ted, a short man with dark hair and thick glasses, almost cowered behind his outgoing wife. She was tall, gorgeous, blonde and very top heavy.

"I haven't been here for ages!" she said and looked around. She spotted her daughter and quickly enveloped her in a hug, "Oh my little 'Dora! I haven't seen you in the longest time," she kissed her all over, "Why don't you visit anymore?!"

Tonks pulled away, "I've been busy mum, that's all."

She laughed and patted her daughter's shoulder. "That's all right. Go say hello to your father while I catch up with my cousin."

She walked to Sirius, and he stood, holding Zav on his hip, and they hugged. Andromeda kissed his cheeks and held him at arms length. Clean shaven and with a proper hair cut Sirius was a very attractive man and she told him so.

"Who is this?"

"Oh, that's my son," Az stood and pulled him from Sirius' arms.

Andromeda smiled. "You're Agereon's son, aren't you? Azriel, right?"

"I am," he smiled to her, "You are Andromeda Tonks, aye?"

"Of course I am and this is my husband Ted."

Azriel greeted him.

Ted smiled and shook his hand, "A-A pleasure to meet you Lord Snow."

"Please, just call me Azriel."

"I-I of course," he nodded.

"Severus and Chael will be here soon and then we can eat."

Andromeda whirled around, "Severus Snape is going to be here?"

"He's my godfather, Auntie, of course he shall be here."

"It's been ten years since I saw Severus," she smiled, "And I want to meet my new nephew right away."

"You will, he's absolutely adorable Auntie, just like mum."

Andromeda smiled, "I imagine he must be!"

"Draco?" Harry poked his head out, "Honey, can you come back here for a- oh, hello," he stepped into the sitting room and was introduced to Andromeda and Ted. "Pleasure to meet more of Draco's family."

"So you're the boy Narcissa told me about," Andromeda smiled, "The _Prophet _photos do you no justice my dear and Draco, you're a very lucky boy to be dating him."

"I am indeed," Draco smiled, kissed Harry's cheek and excused himself, "I'll return momentarily."

Nymphedora stood with her parents and talked to Azriel and Julian while Zav amused himself with Sirius and Remus. The teenagers chatted with the Weasley clan and Albus floated around with his eyes twinkling like crazy.

Molly reentered, "Dinner will be ready in just a few moments."

"Thank-you," people chorused back to her.

In the hallway between the kitchen and sitting room there was a small room where Harry and Draco stood.

"What? Harry you know I cannot abandoned a party like this, we have twenty two guests roaming the house and it shall be two more when Sev and my brother arrive which will be any moment."

"Okay, shut-up," he could not stop smiling, "Guess what I heard Hermione telling Mrs. Weasley about?"

"What?" Draco was interested now.

"Her and Theo, she admitted they're dating and really serious and," he paused, "Mrs. Weasley sounded really excited _but_ then she said 'Why doesn't Ron have a serious relationship? It sounds like he might get left behind with you and Harry in serious relationships' then she sighed and said 'I wouldn't care who he dated as long as he's happy but I don't think he realizes that.' Drake, Ron could come out to his mum and dad!"

Draco giggled, "That's amazing! We have to tell Ron and Blaise!"

"I know!"

"How do we tell them?"

"Should we wait until the night is over?"

"I think so," Draco nodded, "I mean, we cannot very well tell them right now."

"So true." Harry smiled, kissed Draco and then turned, "I have to bring out some more drinks, you entertain the guests, I'll see you at the dinner table."

Draco smiled too and left the room, returning to the sitting room and introducing himself to the conversations. Severus entered then and Andromeda, in all her eccentric glory, was first to lift Chael from his arms and swing the child around, "My what a perfect baby!"

"He is," Severus agreed and watched carefully as she handed the child too her husband. Chael, who had always loved meeting new people, giggled and reached out to them as he was passed to Nymphadora, Sirius, Remus, Albus and Fleur before making a tour of the Weasley family and landing in Blaise's arms. The Italian returned him to his father and Snape thankfully reclaimed his son.

"Dinner is served," Hermione smiled from the doorway and a massive migration occurred as they made their way down the marble hallway to the grand dinning room.

The white walls were decorated with portraits and silver curtains framed the large windows over looking the darkening countryside. They seated themselves around the long, dark wood table and watched as Molly levitated the seemingly hundreds of dishes onto the table.

She smiled and took her seat between her husband and first born.

"Everyone," Draco stood, "Thank-you for coming and welcome to the Malfoy Manor House in London. I am very grateful to all of you and I would like to invite you to enjoy the food, the house, the company and to with our dear cousin Sirius hello and good luck after his return from a year beyond the veil. We are so glad to have him home."

They clapped and Draco raised his glass of white wine towards the head of the table where Sirius sat, "To family."

"To family," they echoed him.

**::20 July, Ministry of Magic::**

"Here, here," the Magistrate called to silence the room. The audience turned to him. He nodded his head to Percy who began to read from a rather lengthily scroll.

"The Wizengamot is convened on this the twentieth day of the seventh month of the year nineteen-ninety-six with his high wizardship Adirous Nimmen presiding as first Magistrate, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge presiding as second chair, Albus Dumbledore, Head Master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, presiding as third chair and the great Lord Lucius Malfoy presiding as the omniscient judge. The three thousandth, four hundred and ninety third convention of the Wizangamot on this day is to determine the innocence of one Lord Sirius Black on the matter of the murder of thirteen persons on the seventeenth day of the tenth month of the year nineteen-eighty. Lord Black having been sentenced to life in Azkaban for said crime by the three thousandth and seventh convention of the Wizengamot on the twentieth day of the twelfth month of the year nineteen-eighty." Percy continued to describe the crime, the people on that Wizengamot and all that information.

Sirius sat at a heavy oak table and stared directly into Fudge's eyes.

"Lord Black how do you plead?"

"Innocent." He snapped without a moment's hesitation.

"Let it be known that Lord Black has plead 'innocent' in regards to the-" Percy restated the crime and then looked to Fudge so he could take over.

"Sirius Black," he said, "There are witnesses who saw you commit this crime, why do you deny it?"

"I am not a murderer. I am innocent. I had no fair trial then and now, sixteen years later, I will be proven innocent."

"We shall administer veritaserum to test your conscious."

Sirius nodded.

They levitated the table away and Severus walked out with a bottle of clear liquid.

Harry, from his seat in the stands next to Draco, bit his bottom lip and watched his godfather receive the potion. Draco held his hand and Harry shot him a warm smile before refocusing on the trial.

"Are you Lord Sirius Black?"

"I am."

"Did you kill thirteen persons on October seventeenth in nineteen-eighty?"

"No."

"Do you know who did?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

"He was one of those killed, that is impossible."

"No, he is an animigus."

"What?"

"He killed those people, destroyed the street and transformed into a rat and ran into the sewers."

There was an explosion of whispering among the council and the audience.

"Is he still alive?"

"I do not know. He was alive three years ago."

"How do you know that?"

"I went to Hogwarts to find him, I did but he escaped."

Fudge nodded slowly, "We shall deliberate and return our verdict shortly."

Sirius stood and walked to the railing that separated the audience out. Harry stood, "You have to be set free, Sirius, you have to be."

He sighed, "I hope so, Harry, I don't want to run anymore."

Harry hugged him.

Draco, from where he now stood just behind Harry and to the left, smiled too, "I'm sure my father will put in a good word for you, so will the Head Master and Nimmen is a fair man, he could care less about what they claim you did. He'll vote to set your free I'm sure."

Sirius smiled at Draco, "I'm glad Harry has you."

Draco blushed.

"We have decided," Nimmen called and Sirius returned to his seat. The section reserved for the press lit up with flashbulbs and the reporters listened close. "The evidence is overwhelming," he said, "Lord Sirius Black is pronounced innocent and the Ministry would like to extend an apology for the bias first trial and the sixteen years spent unfairly imprisoned. We award Lord Black two hundred galleons for every year spent in Azkaban."

Harry cheered and the audience applauded.

The press exploded with questions, calling for any of the council, for Sirius, for Harry, for anyone.

Harry leapt the railing and hugged his godfather. "Thank Merlin," he exclaimed and grinned. "Harry! Harry!" They yelled for him.

"Why do you care so much about Lord Black?" He heard someone yell.

"He's my godfather," Harry yelled back and smiled at them and kept smiling.

The press clamored, "Really?!"

"Of course," Harry nodded.

Draco walked onto the floor of the Wizengamot and to his father.

"Lucius," he said and shook hands with his father, "I did not know you were participating in Sirius' trial."

"Nor did I, my son," Lucius answered, "Until a mere three days ago when it became clear that they were in need of a fourth judge. I wish I had time to write but things have been, I'll say chaotic, around Krakow recently and Merlin knows traveling is complicated now." He said with a slight motion to his leg.

"Does it still hurt?"

"Sometimes," he admitted, "When I am upset or under stress it begins to hurt but otherwise it is merely a nuisance. I do worry though, about it and I have it checked on fairly regularly. I am simply unable to travel these days, Port Key presents so many dangers and Floo is uncomfortable as well as broom. I must apparate everywhere or go by muggle means and both are tiring for an old man such as I," he smiled and leaned on his cane. This one had a smooth head and was made of iron and obsidian.

"Why don't you come rest at home for a few days? The house is plenty large and we haven't seen you for months."

"I can't, Draco, I must get back to Krakow before anything else goes awry." He shook his head.

"What is in Poland that keeps you there so steadfastly?"

"Business, my son," he smiled and began to leave again. Draco followed him.

"But father-"

"Really Draco, I must go. I'll make sure to visit before you go to school again but I absolutely must leave."

"Travel safe," Draco stopped moving and watched his father leave. He turned and went towards Harry until he remembered the press was there and it would raise questions if he ran into the photos and drew Harry from this happy moment.

Remus came up and stood next to him, "Have the urge to run in and hug them?"

Draco smiled, "Sort of."

"Yeah, I get it too."

"Really?"

"Of course," Remus smiled, "My best friend was just found innocent of the crime that has kept him imprisoned or hiding for sixteen years. I want to share it with him but Harry has all the right in the world to share it with him first."

"But Remus," Draco frowned, "You have to go out and congratulate him, he's your best friend."

The werewolf shrugged, "I have the whole walk back to house to congratulate him."

"Go now," Draco urged him forward.

Sirius caught the motion, turned and waved them over. "Come on!" He yelled, "We're getting photos taken!"

Remus walked over and hugged Sirius, "Congratulation, Siri, I knew you would be set free."

Sirius smiled at him, "I'm glad you're here Remy," and he pulled him to his side and grinned at the cameras. "Get your boy over here, Harry," he whispered and Harry laughed and called to Draco.

"Come on!"

Draco carefully walked over to his cousin.

"Sirius I'm so happy for you," he said and hugged him. Sirius laughed, "Thanks, kid, stand with us for a few photos."

Draco made to decline but Harry grabbed him around the waist and pulled him close. Harry the turned over his shoulder, "Ron, Hermione, Blaise, Theo, come over!"

The other teens came over and were pulled into the photo, laughing and hugged Sirius. The press called questions to them but none got answered as they laughed and posed.

Hermione, with her arms around Theo, kicked up a heel while Ron and Blaise sat in front with their shoulders touching and their hands secretly holding each other. "Mister Black!" Rita Skeeter pushed forward.

He smiled and nodded his head towards her.

"If Pettigrew were here now what would you do?"

Sirius said, in all seriousness, "I would turn him over to the Wizengamot and tell him how disappointed I am that someone I trusted for so long would betray not one friend but them all."

"Harry, what would you do?"

Harry shrugged, "I would make sure he's sent to Azkaban and he never escapes."

"Well," Rita's toothy grinned appeared, "What does little Lord Malfoy have to say about all this?" She eyed the way Harry held Draco and raised her eyebrows suggestively.

"My cousin, Lord Black, is a great man and I could not be happier to see his name cleared and I can only hope that the sniveling rat responsible for the horrendous crime is put to death. You can quote me on that, Ms. Skeeter, attribute it to Heir Lord Malfoy," his devil's smirk appeared and he held her gaze the entire time. His smirk grew as he spoke again, "And, Ms. Skeeter, for future reference the titles of little Lord and young Lord are reserved for those with pure blood, or high class, neither which you have."

Her jaw dropped and several photographers snapped her photo before returning their attention to the men.

* * *

**Draco: I just TOLD that bitch**

**Harry: You did, hon, good work **

**Draco: HAHA!**

**Blaise: I hate her, what a slut!**

**Draco: Oh, I know!**

**Hermione: But you told her gossip about us in Fourth Year.**

**Draco: I remember that, she always wanted me to carry her 'round in my pocket **

**Blaise: Creepy!**

**Theo: Why did you tell her all the stuff anyways?**

**Draco::shrugs:: I dunno, to see the angry look Harry gets**

**Harry: pffft**

**FireStorm: You are silly boys**

**Draco: What happens in the next chapter?**

**FireStorm: Exciting things to be revealed next week. I can tell you that in 2 yes TWO chapters there will be some sex-**

**Draco: For who?**

**FireStorm: For you**

**Draco: YAAAAY!**

**FireStorm: Yes, I know, it's exciting. But there will be sex, a party and it'll be fantastic. **

**LOVE!  
Fire and the Gang**


	4. Happy Birthday, Harold

**::21 July, Dublin Manor::**

"What did you do last year?" Draco asked.

"Narcissa threw a huge party for me, all my friends came and the Twitching Tigers played. It was really cool."

"We'll have to do something even better this year," Draco smirked. "You are coming of age and we absolutely must do something special."

Harry tried to argue, "But, I don't want-"

"Nonsense, Harry," Draco rolled off his bed and walked into the main area of his room, "We're going to throw a party."

"I don't want-"

"Pish posh Harry love," Draco said and pulled his roll-o-dex of people out, "Who all ought we invite, you're friends I assume. All the lions and selected alumni, I assume the Weasley clan and Fleur, of course, I cannot imagine we would not invite your godfather and members of the Order and Merlin knows we have to call Az and Julian back from Greece."

"Who all is coming?" Harry asked.

Draco took a moment to write a long list of names on a piece of parchment, "You'll see," he smiled, "Go find Ron and Hermione but send me my boys."

Harry sighed, kissed Draco's temple and walked out.

"Ron, where're 'Mione and Theo?"

From where he sat next to Blaise, Ron shrugged, "No idea."

"Well, Draco needs your snake to help plan my birthday."

Blaise leapt up with a squeal and ran towards Draco's room.

"Bollocks," Ron frowned.

"Don't I know it."

"What's going on?" Theo walked in.

"Drake's planning my birthday and needs your help."

The blonde sighed and walked towards Draco's room, scratching his stomach. He was only wearing pajama pants and it was strange to see him looking so well rested. He and Hermione had not appeared at breakfast, an hour ago, and it appeared they had only just woken.

Hermione entered in her pajamas and sat down next to Ron, "Your birthday?"

"Draco's planning it this time 'round," Harry smiled and sat on her other side. "What kept you asleep so late?"

"Theo," she said, "We were talking last night and didn't get to sleep until two or three."

"What were you on about?"

"A lot about politics and then about the theory of crime and punishment in the wizarding world and the effectiveness of Azkaban without dementors as opposed to with. We talked about Draco and when he'll inherit his father's name, if ever, and what Lucius is doing out in Krakow that keeps him so busy. We planned next year and what we'll do after graduation and…lots of things."

"Draco and I were talking about post-graduation stuff the other day."

Ron hummed a little, "Blaise and I discussed why the cracks in the wall look like Dumbledore…"

Harry and Hermione gave him odd looks.

"It was so weird," Ron said, "It looked just like him."

"Ronald," Hermione sighed, "Do you and Blaise ever talk about anything serious?"

"We once had a huge discussion on the usefulness of potionary and why some people are good and others are not."

"HARRY!"

"What?"

"What's your family crest? Do you happen to know off the top of your head?" Draco asked, poking his head into the room.

"I have no idea; I didn't even know I had a family crest. Why?"

"No reason, we'll find it."

"Where?"

"How?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, we have a book with most pureblood family crests in it, easy reference, you know."

"Really?" They stood and followed Draco, Blaise and Theo to the massive library.

Draco climbed a ladder, pushed off and rode it half way across one wall before he came to screeching halt, "Got it!"

He rode the ladder back and climbed down. It was a huge book, at least a foot thick and perhaps two feet by two feet. He set it on a table and began to flip through the brown edged pages.

"Potter…Potter," he frowned as he flipped through the pages. Each one had a large, perfectly colored crest with colors and creatures and often weaponry. "Got it."

Red and gold swirled around a glowering lion.

"That's perfect for you!" Draco nodded.

Harry admired it more, "That's the Potter family crest?"

"Yes, it is."

"Wow."

"Most pureblood families have a snake, lion, bird or badger slash wolverine as their main symbol. Especially English families who achieved pureblood status after Hogwarts was created." Blaise said.

"What about your family?"

The Italian smiled, "Being that we're Italian and older than Hogwarts," he opened to the back of the book, "We have harpies."

The two vicious bird-like women were holding the sun above their heads and showing their teeth. Ron grinned, "Wicked."

"What about yours Ron?" Hermione asked. They found the Weasley page.

A tall old tree was consumed in fire and a huge murder of crows circled it.

"It's not really like us now, but back in the day the Weasley's were a war fightin' bunch…according to dad."

"That's so cool though," Harry said.

"I personally want to see Draco's family crest," Hermione said.

With a shrug Draco turned to his family page.

"Oh wow." Hermione said, "That's so Malfoy family."

A white basilisk curled around a sword before a background of silver and night.

"That's a great crest."

"So Malfoy."

"We've had it for neigh on six thousand years," Draco said. "It's on the old rings and it is carved into the floor of the Grand Ballroom. It's all over the place if you look," he said. "We're very proud of it."

Harry smiled. "I bet you are."

"Actually," Draco bit his bottom lip, "I think it used to be a custom to have your family crest tattooed on your chest so your body could be identified in a war."

Hermione nodded, "That's back when magic was more violent and less controlled by the Ministry. Back when people would use flaming swords and scythes coated in magic poison."

"Back when wars were wars and men were men," Blaise said and made a very manly grunt.

"Sure," Ron rolled his eyes. "If you are manly then I am as blonde as Draco is."

They laughed.

"You're mean," Blaise said but he could not not smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry honey," Ron kissed his cheek.

"Come on," Draco said, "Blaise, Theo and I have things to do."

The three snakes slipped off and left the lions in the library.

**::31 July, Sevryn Club::**

"Draco, you didn't have to go to all this trouble," Harry said as he was led, blindfolded into the main club room.

"Really darling, it was no trouble."

Beyond the blindfold the walls were a rich red and trimmed in gold. The Potter family crest stood proud on the far wall behind the VIP table. Black table clothes adorned thirteen tables with seven people at each table. Gifts were piled on one table and at each place setting was a small gift for each guest. A golden lion figurine of about fist size sat proudly on each small box and roared the name of their specified guest. Inside the box lay a golden necklace with a lightening bolt charm and a trio of soft winged magical butterflies that were charmed to stay with their owner and do as told. After the sophisticated meal finished and the adults left Draco had a concert and dance party planned.

"I just don't see the point of the blindfold, I'll see everything at some point or another."

"Calm down!"

The room was empty at this point, no one had arrived yet and Draco wanted a moment alone with his now legal boyfriend.

"Okay, fine," Harry smiled as Draco stopped.

"Close your eyes."

"Merlin, Drake-"

"Do it!"

"Okay!"

Draco removed the blindfold and stood directly in front of Harry. "Open."

The green eyes faced the light and Harry staggered back, "Holy Jesus, Draco, you-you did all this?"

"Well, I'm a Malfoy and we never do anything mediocre."

He laughed, "You're incredible."

"I know."

Draco stood on tip-toe and pressed his lips against Harry's and smiled. His lips were soft and dry but Draco wet them with his tongue. Hands of a lion snaked around the Ice Prince and held him close. Draco's arms lifted and wound around Harry's shoulders and he pulled the towering raven down. It took a long moment before the doors opened and they pulled apart.

"Are you two done snogging?"

"For now," Draco smiled.

"Let's start inviting in guests," Ron said and pulled the door open wide. Blaise entered and smiled, "We do such good work, darling."

"Oh I know," Draco agreed, "You should sit and Blaise and I will subtly rejoin the crowd so it is not too suspicious."

Harry nodded and was still upset that he and Draco felt the need to hide. The blonde kissed him once more for good measure and he and the Italian slipped away. People began to enter. Fudge and most of the Order walked in and Sirius and Remus were arm in arm. Azriel and Julian with Zav and the Weasleys and all his school friends came in and laughed when they saw their lions and greeted the Savior. Oliver and his old Quidditch Team entered and rushed around him with smiles and thumps on the back.

Krum entered and he and Fleur greeted each other before he walked to Harry.

"Congratulations, old friend, you are a man today and a good man at that."

Harry shook his hand, "I'm glad to see you, Viktor."

Draco and Blaise walked in with Theo and Severus. Harry gave them a smile and a nod and they returned it. The press stood at the door, unable to enter without proper invitation and snapped photos and tried to grab his attention from their place.

Harry smiled and walked over and let them take a few photos and he ventured to answer questions before a pair of butlers closed the doors and he took the place of honor.

Sirius stood, "Everyone, please," they silenced and turned to him. "My godson is seventeen today and that means a lot in our world. He is a man, a legal adult, and recognized by the Ministry of Magic as a full member of our community. Not only that, Harry's transition to adulthood has been a traumatic and amazing one. He has seen more evil and experienced more pain and joy than many wizards in their whole lives. I am proud to call him my godson and I would consider him my blood any day. Were he still but thirteen, as when I first met him, I would adopt him as my true heir and he knows that." Sirius smiled to Harry, "To an amazing man with a grand future."

Everyone raised there glasses and toasted him.

Harry smiled.

"I also would like to raise a glass to our guest of honor," Remus said, "I knew Harry both as a baby and then we met again when he was thirteen. I was astounded at how he became so much like his father without him. The valor, the patience, joy, honor, courage and loyalty usually attributed to his Gryffindorhood, I know came directly from his father, James. I grew up with Harry's father and I know he could never be more proud of his son. You are absolutely incredible, Harry, and I would like to toast your life, your loves and your future."

Harry stood and hugged Remus and Sirius, "Thank-you," he said and reseated himself.

The dinner progressed through five courses and dessert arrived in the form of a large cake. Harry, continually impressed with magic, had not expected a cake version of himself fighting a Hungarian Horntail. The cake version of himself flew around on a boom and the dragon curled on a base of chocolate rocks and roared and breathed red sugar that glittered over the chocolate. Harry could nearly feel himself gaining weight as the dragon's head was cut off, surrounded by chocolate rocks and served to the VIP table.

Harry laughed when he dug out one eye and found it to be a sugar glazed almond. The teeth were candy cane shards with red streaks making it appear like blood. It was a delicious cake and Harry sent a secret smile to Draco who merely winked at him in return and took a bite of the tail.

"Thank-you for coming," Harry stood, "I'm so thankful to everyone and you're all very sweet."

He had been briefed before the party and told that it was impolite to open the gifts at the party. Draco promised him they would have an unwrapping party at the Dublin Manor that night.

Everyone stood and Harry walked out to bid them good-bye. He took note of who went to the left and who left through the main doors. Adults through the main, younger folk to the left and he smiled because it was so obvious.

After everyone was gone he went to the left and found himself in a wide, poorly lit room with a raised stage and loads of people.

The twins were standing with Oliver and Angelina and laughing it up, drinks in hand. Harry slid up to the bar and got a bottle of beer before he ventured into the crowd.

The birthday boy slid up to the stage and leaned against it. Draco appeared before him and smiled, "Did you like it?"

"I loved it," Harry responded, "Dinner was incredible and that cake was fantastic, a spectacle!"

Draco smiled, "I thought you would like it."

"I loved it."

"I'm glad," Draco nodded, "The band should come on soon."

"Who is playing?"

"You'll see."

Draco smiled. "All the gifts are being taken to Dublin and there are heaps more than we expected. We'll be up all night, darling."

"I don't mind, do you?"

"I had other plans," he said and winked devilishly.

"We can save some gifts for tomorrow, you know, I don't have to open them all just now," Harry reasoned and Draco smiled, "Damn straight."

A loud scream of feedback brought the attention to the stage and there stood a green haired girl with very large breasts and a snarl.

"Holy Merlin," someone shouted, "It's Divinity!"

Harry had heard of them. They were an Irish wizard rock band with a feisty stage presence and a loyal following. Blaise had let Harry hear them and the lion had loved it. He got their records and a poster for his dorm room (which he hardly saw but still) and Draco knew that Harry had wanted to see them live for quite some time.

Harry squealed. "You got Divinity to play?!"

"It's part of your gift from me."

"Best gift ever," Harry kissed his cheek before he was able to stop himself and he quickly pulled away and blushed. "Did anyone see?"

"That's possible," Draco shrugged, "I'm not sure that I'm worried about that though."

Harry smiled, "Good."

The lead singer held up the microphone, "Let's start this party," and the music kicked in.

"_What's your worldly calling_

_Mr. Potter?_

_Hear say you're a good guy_

_Mr. Potter_

_Somebody loves you_

_Mr. Potter_

_And they say Happy Birthday_

_Harry_

_Potter!"_

The music was loud and Harry was awed by the fact they had a song just for him.

"What is this?" he turned and asked Draco.

"I made a special request," the blonde said and evaporated into the crowd.

* * *

**Pretty much I wrote the song myself.  
I'm proud : D**

**::laughs and smiles::**

**I hope you liked this chapter  
WARNING: Sex in the next one, be warned. It's not graphic but it's there**

**Draco: It's deffinitely there ::wink wink::**

**Ron: I really don't want to hear about this**

**Blaise: Hey, we do the same thing**

**Mrs. Weasley: What same thing? What do you do?**

**::awkward silence::**

**Blaise: Play chess at three in the morning. I'm a terrible insomniac and your son procrastinates homework something aweful.**

**Ron: Yeah, so we end up, uh...around each other that early in the morning**

**Blaise: And so we play chess**

**Mrs. Weasley: Oh, that's...nice...Ron, you really shouldn't put off your homework like that**

**Hermione: That's what I say!**

**Harry::elbows Hermione:: Shuttup!**

**Draco: You have a nice son, Mrs. Weasley, he's a good boy.**

**Mrs. Weasley: Oh thank-you, dear. You're such a sweetie, Harry's lucky to have you.**

**Draco::grin::**

**Harry: Kiss arse.**

**Draco: Don't make me punch your sternum.**

**Blaise: Do you even know what a sternum is?**

**Draco: Do you?**

**Blaise: No...**

**Harry: It's part of your chest, abdominal area**

**Draco: I see... ::punches Harry in his sternum::**

**Harry: Ow!**

**FireStorm: tsk tsk, if you keep beating each other up I'll have to omit the sex**

**Draco: NOOOOO!**

**FireStorm: Good**

**LOVE  
FireStorm**


	5. Oh Snaps, it's a wedding

**::2.05 the next morning, Dublin Manor::**

"Merlin, this is ridiculous," Harry said as he eyed the still looming pile of presents. Draco sat beside him with his long slim legs across Harry's lap and a list of gifts and senders in his hands.

"Harry, really, you have no stamina for gift opening, we've only gotten through seventeen."

"That's so many though," the lion complained, "Everyone else got to go to bed ages ago."

"An hour, darling, really, stop complaining."

"Please? I want the rest of your present," Harry pleaded.

"Later," the snake insisted.

"Dammit," Harry pouted.

"Fine," Draco rolled his eyes and set aside the list.

Harry smiled when Draco climbed over and seated himself in Harry's lap.

"Happy Birthday Harry," he grinned and kissed him hard on the mouth. Soft hands traveled up his stomach and Harry felt Draco's legs tighten around him. The Ice Prince straddled him and leaned in, holding the Golden Boy's face in his hands. He pushed his tongue into Harry's mouth and they slid over one another. Draco's long fingers worked their way into Harry's hair and pulled softly until Harry groaned loudly.

Draco pushed down on the lion and sucked on his bottom lip. "Come on."

He stood and took Harry deep into the manor.

Harry was pushed through the doors of Draco's bedroom and he was greeted by white marble and gold. Draco gave him a demonic smile and pushed him onto the bed. It was smaller than most of Draco's beds but softer too and Harry almost sank too deep. He reached up, took Draco around the waist and pulled him very close. Silver hair fell and brushed Harry's cheek as his lips meet Draco's and they kissed again.

The silver dragon managed to get his shirt off and Harry opened his eyes. He saw, over Draco's heart, the Malfoy family crest. "When did you get that?"

"A few days ago," he answered and Harry leaned close to the warm skin and saw the snake moving.

"It's beautiful," he said.

"That's not your present though," he said and slipped off Harry. He spread himself over the bed and smiled.

"What is then?" Harry asked though he knew and stretched himself out beside Draco.

"Me," he laughed and pulled the boy wonder on top.

Harry laughed and kissed his Prince again. The lion pulled off his shirt and got a moaning reward from Draco. Harry pressed his chest close against Draco's and he felt the white heat and erratic breath of his pale lover.

His hands found the curve of Draco's hip and followed the bone to where his black trousers sat. The Ice Prince smirked into their kiss. Harry was not one to accept trousers as a reason to stop and so he left the snake's mouth and kissed his jaw. Harry licked his lover's pulse, kissed it and bit down just enough to leave the mark of his teeth. Draco groaned and tried very hard to gain more contact between himself and the lion.

Harry groaned and groped the blonde's ass, his legs and the slim snake squirmed and panted when Harry's hands made off with his pants. They returned though to pilfer Harry's own pants. Draco, unreasonably appreciative, wrapped his perfect legs around Harry and pulled him in, close.

"Please," he whispered and Harry smiled. He loved birthdays.

Their boxers were shed and finally Draco got what he had wanted. His quickly lifted his hips and pressed his manhood against Harry's and they both gasped. Draco's smooth skin brushed Harry's and sharp currents of pleasure made their way to an already over stimulated brain inside the head of the Wonder Boy.

He leaned forward and kissed Draco again, pushing through his lips and touching their tongues together. They moaned and Draco broke the kiss. His silver hair and silver eyes matched just then as he turned over.

Harry's hands ran over his back and Draco bit his lip when Harry pushed inside. They began to move and Draco shuddered violently when Harry's hands traveled around to grasp Draco and pump in rhythm. The pace quickened and Harry groaned as he came and Draco was right behind him. They sighed and stretched across the bed, parting but still holding one another in the darkness.

"Best gift ever," Harry smiled and buried his face in silver hair.

Draco hummed and smiled against Harry's chest.

They fell asleep there, together.

**::20 August, Grand Manor of the Zabini Family::**

Blaise, in white and green, stood near the stage. The pine tree, decorated in platinum and silver and colored stars, stood proudly behind the stage. It was for luck, mostly. Blaise had decorated quite a few in the past years and it was his favorite part of his mother's weddings. Draco, in all green, was to the side and waiting patiently. The Croatian Minister stood waiting as well. Just like muggle weddings, a long aisle separated two equal portions of guests. Desdemona, ever talented at wedding planning, had put the Croatians to one side and the Italians and English far to the other side.

Silver roses and dark green ivy curled around the room and set off the black marble floor. The eighth wedding these floors had seen with this one woman. Blaise almost sighed but stopped.

He heard the audience turn to see Desdemona.

Her almost black hair was hidden by white. Her gown was mostly white but touched in black and the seven roses she carried were the same. Behind her came Malika and Gabrielle and some of the other pureblood women. Blaise watched her and the Hera (maid of honor) broke off and stood across from Blaise. As the Herè (best man), Blaise was expected to help in the ceremony and he had been Herè before. He felt distinctly uncomfortable with it now that his father was alive.

She reached the stage and she and the Minister stepped up together. Bustreo smiled and held her hand. The mage, an elder woman in black and green, raised her bent wooden staff.

"Today," she said, "We join magic and offer a safe place for Desdemona and Bustreo to be married. Love and joy and magic, surround them."

The gathering responded, "Forever."

"Peace, compassion and magic, fill them."

"Forever."

"Luck, fortune and magic, bless them."

"Forever."

"Do you pledge your love, joy, peace, compassion, luck, fortune and magic to your wife?"

"I do."

"Do you pledge your love, joy, peace, compassion, luck, fortune and magic to your husband?"

"I do."

"So they pledge and now shall share all." She struck the floor three times with her staff and spoke again. "_Amor initia este, no terminat solo en morte y morte no appera."_

The audience repeated her words and Blaise stepped behind the groom and the Hera came beside him.

"Herè Hera Herè Hera Herè Hera," the mage chanted and Blaise and Hera knelt to help bear the magic of the union. There was dead silence for a long moment.

"Stand, beloved and greet the world as a pair in love."

Desdemona stood and so did Bustreo.

The gathering applauded and Blaise and the Hera led them down the aisle and out of the room. Blaise glanced over his shoulder and saw his mother smile at him.

Everyone poured into the reception room and the food set out and waiters with drinks and music seemed overwhelming to Blaise until he saw Ron in the crowd. The Italian left the wedding party to greet his boyfriend. His mother and father were nearby with Draco, Harry, Hermione and Theo and Blaise saw Ron glance at them quickly, as if warning him not to get too close.

"Hi," Blaise said, "Thank-you for coming."

"Well," Ron shrugged, "Harry and Hermione were coming and so were my parents I thought it'd be weird if I didn't show."

Blaise giggled and saw Mrs. Weasley watching them, "I should go," he said, "I'll talk to you later I suppose."

"Yeah," Ron smiled at him just a little and Blaise walked away.

The day she had found out about Hermione and Theo Molly had embraced the boy and welcomed him to the family. She had started knitting a Christmas sweater for him and everything. Her opinion on Theo was that he was perfect for Hermione and a sweet and caring lad with a good head and a good heart.

She thought Blaise was strange. She watched him all the time and frowned at him when he did something she didn't like. She thought he was a bad kid, a trouble maker and that his mother was a tramp. She considered him a whore, a druggie and a drunk. She glared when he smiled at Ron and when he hugged Hermione or Draco. She folded her arms and shook her head whenever he was in her house and detailed his faults to her husband.

Blaise took his place beside Bustreo and waited for the photos to be over with.

"Ronald," his mother called him over to the group, "Don't stand there looking dumb," she said, "Socialize with someone."

"I was just talking to Blaise," he said.

She just hummed in response.

Ron shrugged, "I'm going to go talk to, uhm, someone," he said and walked away, glaring at the floor as he did so. He found the food and loaded a small plate with some crackers and cheese before he turned to see Blaise standing nearby with a glass of champagne.

"Blaise?" Ron walked over and smiled, "I thought you'd still be taking photos."

"Oh, no," he said, "They're just doing the bride and groom now."

"I see," he said. "Are you mad at me?"

"No," Blaise shook his head a little, "I'm not. I mean," he paused, "I understand why you haven't told your parents. I get it, love, I know that it's hard and that you aren't sure and you're scared and I'm not mad about that, not at all. I don't appreciate having to hide in public and everything but I get it…you know, I understand. I just don't want to hide forever."

"Yeah," he nodded, "I don't want to hide either."

Blaise reached out and touched his arm, "I don't want you to do anything stupid though."

Ron managed a small laugh, "I won't, I promise."

"Good," the dark snake gave him a smile, "You should go to your mother, she hates it when we talk."

Ron frowned, "She does?"

"Haven't you noticed, love? She abhors me," Blaise said and cocked his head to the side. "How did you not know that?"

"I don't know," Ron shrugged, "I just…I don't pay that much attention to my mother's feelings towards you."

Blaise laughed, "I do have to get back to the wedding party," he admitted, "I'll see you tonight."

Ron grinned, "See you then," he turned and saw his mother was indeed frowning heavily in their direction. He walked back over and smiled as Draco left Harry's side to join the wedding party too.

"Mom," he said, "Why do you hate Blaise?"

"Oh really Ron," she responded, "I don't hate him, I just don't understand him or his habits…he seems like a nice boy, sometimes, I just don't know him. I certainly don't approve of his smoking and drinking and that reputation he has."

"I don't think any of those things you've heard should matter," Ron said, "He's Draco and Theo's best friend and he is our friend too."

"You hated them too," she said, "Until Harry started dating one and now you defend them? I do not hate Blaise, I just don't know him."

"Then don't glare at him like he's a demon," Ron snapped.

"Don't you talk to me like that Ronald," she said and Harry grabbed Ron by the arm.

"Merlin mate, calm down," he tugged him away and to a more deserted area, "What got you so heated?"

"Did you know my mum hated Blaise?"

"I could tell she didn't like him but she doesn't hate him, Ron," he said and Hermione joined them, "Listen, I told you what I heard your mom say. About how she's okay with whoever you want to date? Just…tell her and she'll get to know Blaise and trust him and love him like you do…in a totally non-sexual way of course."

Ron laughed, "Let's hope."

"Come on, there's a wedding going on," Harry clapped him on the shoulder and they all went to the rapidly filling dance floor and moved to the music.

* * *

**WEE!  
Here's the deal:**

**Blaise and Ron are hiding their relationship from the public and Ron's parents.**

**Draco and Harry are keeping it from public knowledge**

**Hermione and Theo are all around open about it, cool?**

**Just clearing that up**

**Hope you liked the sex**

**AND! I told you what the pine tree is for, haha**

**Blaise: I love trees**

**Draco: We know.**

**Harry: Didn't you name one once?**

**Blaise: Chauncy. He was a good tree.**

**Ron::wierd look:: Am I really dating you?**

**Draco: Wierd, isn't it.**

**Blaise: I'm an individual!**

**Hermione: Even I can't call tree naming 'individual'**

**Blaise: Well...poop**

**FireStorm: And on that note:**

**LOVE from  
FireStorm and the gang**


	6. School?

**::1 September, Hogwarts School::**

The thestral drawn carriages stopped and students poured out. Neville, Dean, Seamus, Harry, Ron and Hermione stepped out of theirs just as the snakes climbed down from theirs. It seemed that this year more students could see the demonic horses and Harry nodded to them knowingly. They walked the last few meters to the school. A bramble of thorny silver vines marked the place where Roua died. They seemed to have grown since the battle and students were certain to avoid going too close.

Draco and Harry were walking slowly and observing the Great Hall for their last Welcoming Feast. They walked in and Harry waved to his godfather and Remus. The two men sat at the head table on either side of Severus and they laughed and waved back to Harry. Dumbledore waved too and Violet Parkinson, who sat far to the left, looked up at them and smiled.

Blaise parted from the group and took his seat. Slytherin greeted him warmly and Theo received a similar welcome. Draco stepped towards the table and in a tense half second they looked at him and he looked back. They smiled and he took his seat at the head of the table.

Harry walked with Ron and Hermione and they sat down among the lions.

Once everyone was settled McGonagall entered, trailing a rather large group of students.

"Line up and I shall call your name, when I do you will step forward to be sorted."

She unrolled a mighty length of parchment, "Abber, John."

Harry sighed and realized it could be a while before he got to eat. He and Ron began an epic stone, parchment, dagger battle. Hermione made them stop when Ron screamed bloody murder when he lost in a decisive match.

Once that was over with, much to the boy's joy, Dumbledore stood.

"Welcome, welcome, students old and new. I am Head Master Dumbledore and some of you may not know but this is a celebratory year; Hogwart's one thousandth and tenth anniversary and to celebrate the year will conclude with a Wizard's Gala," A roar of joy escaped the students. "I am very pleased to introduce our new Astronomy teacher Violet Parkinson, she is replacing our dear Professor Sinistra who was killed last year in the Death Eater War here on Hogwarts grounds."

Students clapped when she stood, waved and smiled.

"I would next like to introduce our new Defense professors," he motioned, "The position will be shared by Professors Lupin and Black, both alumni and well versed in the Dark Arts."

The two stood and waved enthusiastically.

Snape, who sat between them, sighed and rolled his eyes.

"For anyone who does not know, this is Professor Snape, our Potions professor and his son Chael. The little one will often be seen around the castle and in class and I hope you all treat him with respect and are careful not to fire any spells in his direction or you shall have to deal not only with Professor Snape but the faculty and the entire Slytherin House."

Everyone nodded and cooed when Chael responded to his name with a loud laugh.

"Now, enjoy the feast." Dumbledore commanded and food appeared.

Ron began to stuff his face and across the hall Blaise let out a laugh that echoed around the room and people turned to him. His sharp white teeth were showing and First Years shrank away from him.

Ron turned over his shoulder and saw the Italian and he smiled too. Blaise and Draco were side by side and their smiles were similar. Sirius and Remus gave each other smiles and Snape angrily tried to ignore it.

"How's the baby?"

Severus turned to Minerva, "He's okay…growing well and I think he's smart but I can never be sure."

"He seems extremely smart, Severus."

Chael giggled. He reached up and opened his hand for his father. Severus in return offered the child his finger.

"The only children I've ever really seen grow up were our gaggle of snakes and they were hardly average babes."

Minerva laughed a little, "I can only imagine."

"So," Sirius leaned into Snape, "Are you going to teach here forever?"

"I doubt it," he said, "When Chael starts here I'll perhaps retire or earlier if I want."

"What are you going to do with him during the summer?"

"We'll spend the summers here in England, probably at my family home."

"And what will old Lucius do all alone in Poland?"

"What he's been doing for the past eight months, I assume."

Sirius smiled, "Is little Lord Draco going to live with you?"

"Possibly," Severus shrugged, "He's an adult now and he has an adult boyfriend and they could go any where in the world for the summer and vacation and once they graduate."

"So true," Sirius smiled, "And look at them," he said, "Harry's a good kid. I'm really proud of him."

Severus nodded slowly, "He is a good man."

At the Gryffindor table Hermione was scolding Ron for his manners and she laughed when Neville reminded her that he had been that way for years.

"That's so true," she admitted, "I don't know why I even try."

Harry smiled, "I bet Lady Malfoy could have fixed you right up."

"I'm not as lucky as all that," Ron said and smiled.

Harry sipped his pumpkin juice and just kept smiling.

"Come on," Hermione said, "Let's start rounding up lower years for the first visit to the Common Room."

They stood with the rest of the hall and the Seventh years began herding small children in red.

Harry smiled at Dumbledore. He thanked him for making some other girl Head and sparring Theo and everyone, really, the stress of Hermione as head girl.

"Come on," she yelled, "This way, follow me or the giant ball of red hair here," she pulled Ron next to her, "I'm Hermione Granger, your prefect and this is Ron Weasley, my co-prefect. Follow me!" Harry smiled and snagged a First Year that almost got mixed up with the Ravenclaws.

"Come on kid, this way," he said and pushed them gently back into the group.

"Y-you're Harry Potter!" they said and several others turned rapidly to him.

"Yeah," he smiled, "I am, who are you?"

"Emilia Vost," she squeaked, "I thought you left school after the defeat of You-Know-Who…I mean, what else do you have to learn."

He laughed, "Lots of things," he said and they continued up a flight of stairs, "I can hardly brew a potion to save my life and there are loads of charms and spells that I need to know still."

"Oh," she nodded.

"Follow me!" Hermione reminded them, "Don't get lost," she said and stopped at the portrait. "The password is Golden," she said, "Remember that and if you forget and you're lucky, Ron, myself or an upper year can help you out."

They nodded and the portrait opened and they all climbed through, "Girls are this way, boys over there," she pointed.

Ron led them all up the stairs and slowly groups peeled off and into their individual rooms.

Ron and Harry stepped into their room, smiled and then turned to leave.

"Hey, where are you two going?"

"Kitchen," Ron smiled, "To stock up on midnight snacks for the week."

"We just had dinner," Seamus said, "And I can hardly move," he flopped on to the bed, "Why do you want to get more food?"

"I may get hungry again soon," Ron said in his own defense.

They laughed.

"Come on," Harry took Ron and led him back out. They encountered Hermione at the portrait though.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm meeting Theo," she said, "We're going to plan for the year and-"

"I don't even want to know," Ron covered his ears. "Come on Harry, let's get out of here before she starts describing anything gross."

He pushed Harry out the portrait and Hermione swatted him and entered the hall way too, "You're disgusting Ron Weasley."

He laughed, "Come on, come on."

"For your information," she crossed her arms, "Theo and I haven't had sex, unlike you two I have morals."

"We're not easy," Ron said, "We're boys, we're not patient and we definitely don't wait nine months to roll into bed."

"It's true, 'Mione, boys are willing to sex earlier simply because we want it."

"I'm not," she said and blushed, "We just, haven't gotten there yet."

The boys hummed, "You haven't maybe but I promise it's all he thinks about."

She blushed darker, "Go to hell Ron."

He shrugged, "I'm just telling you what everyone knows."

The boys turned and began to walk away.

Hermione just walked the other way, staring at the ground and blushing as she went. She stopped at a window and looked at the grounds and sighed.

In the distance she was almost sure she saw something but she let it be. She turned the corner and saw Theo leaning against a wall with a cigarette between his fingers and a frown on his usually calm features.

"What's wrong?"

"Pansy," he said as she took the wall beside him, "She's been missing for ten months now and I-I'm really worried she was killed or captured or something horrid."

"Pansy is a smart girl," Hermione said though she was not close to the female snake and hardly knew anything about her, "She'll survive I'm certain."

"Pansy is one of those that…that rises to challenges and stands firm in every decision she makes no matter how the odds stack against her. She can be hard headed and arrogant but she's a good woman and a great snake. I just worry that that cannot save her from the ruthlessness of werewolves and some of the other non-humans that stalk the land between here and there."

"I know that she will be okay," Hermione said, "She would never leave you like that."

"I hope," he said and took a long drag, "Do you suppose Drake and Harry will ever be married?"

She cocked her head to the side, "I'm not sure," she admitted, "They're perfect for each other right now but once they have to grow up I don't know what will happen."

"I agree," he said, "Draco cares for Harry but only Merlin knows how the public will react and Harry will know that. He may nix the relationship for that alone. On the other hand, Drake is Harry's first real relationship and vice versa so perhaps they'll never let go of each other."

"Hopefully they will mature together," she said. "I very much wonder what will happen with Ron and Blaise though."

"My snake is never letting go, that's for sure. Unless, of course, he is severely crossed and hopefully your boy is smarter than that."

"I think he is," she answered. "What about us?"

Theo smiled just a little, "I think we'll work out for the best," and he reached out and took her hand in his.

She smiled back and rested her head on his shoulder.

**::15 September, DADA class with Professors Padfoot and Moony::**

"So, who knows what to do when faced with a dementor?" Remus asked. He was leaning against the desk with his ankles crossed. Sirius was on the desk adjusting a chandelier and laughing to himself about something.

The students were on the carpeted floor, leaning on pillows or against the walls. Hermione was taking notes and everyone was paying attention.

"A patranus," Harry said.

"Excellent," Remus stood, "Have any of you ever conjured one?"

Harry and everyone in the DA last year raised their hand and surprisingly Draco, Blaise and Theo raised their hands as well.

"We're off to an excellent start!" Remus smiled, "I'm having a dementor brought in tomorrow so we can practice. Today is all theory-"

The door almost exploded open and the entire class was on their feet with wands drawn.

"I need you six, now," Snape snarled and walked out. Draco, Harry, Blaise, Theo, Hermione and Ron ran after him, concern on their faces.

"What's happening?"

"Is something wrong?"

They tried to keep up as he led them to the Head Master's office.

"Blood Suckers," he snapped and before the gargoyle was fully out of the way, Snape was scaling the stairs.

They entered the office to see the Headmaster at his desk.

"What is it?" Draco asked.

From the chair in front of his desk someone stood. A black hood concealed their face and turned towards them.

They leaned in, frowning with both concern and curiosity.

The hood fell back and they saw her.

Her hair was dirty, streaked with blood and uneven as though she had had to cut parts of it off. Her face was hollow, dark and her skin was grey. The eyes were sunken back and surrounded by shadow while her lips were pale and a heavy cut decorated one of them.

The boys gasped and took a step away. They were shocked, frightened and worried all at once. She seemed full of wrath and pain, full of evil and unexplained hate. The very look of her was demonic and Harry wanted to speak but his words died as her almost black eyes crossed over him.

"Where have you been all this time?" Theo finally spoke.

"Hiding," she answered.

"But, the war ended in March I-"

"Not from them," she stopped him, "From Cuida."

"She was captured, she's in Azkaban."

"So you think," she said and the weight of those words sunk in.

* * *

**WHO IS THE GIRL?!**

**What was that thing on the horizon?**

**Did Ron ever get his midnight snacks?**

**FIND OUT in a couple weeks after I get back from my vacation to Costa Rica.**

**Ron: WHAT? I want snacks though!**

**Hermione: Honestly Ron!**

**Ron: What? I'm hungry.**

**Blaise: You're so silly**

**Draco: He's immature, Blaise, calling him 'so silly' makes you sound flamboyaunt.**

**Blaise: Sorry, I didn't know we were worried about that.**

**Draco: I've made the decision that we need to be manly-er.**

**Harry::laughs and dies::**

**Blaise: Really?**

**Draco: Yes, we're going to wear flannel and drink whiskey and grow beards and grunt.**

**Blaise: Really? Flannel looks horrible on me and you know how I feel about beards.**

**Draco: NO! We're going to be manly men.**

**Ron::laughs and dies::**

**FireStorm: This won't go well at all.**

**LOVE!  
FireStorm and the Boys + Hermione + Pansy (wherever she is)**


	7. Pansy!

"I don't understand," Ron's expression became a frown, "She's on the loose and has been stalking and attacking you since March?"

"That's what I'm saying," she answered.

"Why didn't you come to us or here?"

She almost smiled, "It was not an option."

Draco approached her and wrapped his arms around, "Pansy, I'm so glad you're alive."

She nodded and pulled away from him, "So am I but right now we have to worry about what to do with Cuida-"

"No," Blaise stopped her, "We need to worry about you and making sure you're okay and getting you back into classes and-"

"I'm fine," she said and her voice was nearly a growl, "We have to think about her, about how many innocents she is killing and how she will come here, after us, if we don't stop her."

"We have to-"

She whirled around and something flared inside her.

Blaise felt it most and reeled backwards, shaking at the ferocity.

The others stepped away and stared in fear at her eyes, a burning blackness and her sharp teeth and clenched fists.

"No," she snarled, "I am fine. It is the world at large we need to concern ourselves with."

"Okay," they relented and listened. Draco tentatively stood next to her and she conjured a map for them.

"I reentered Europe here, in Porto, Portugal," she said and traced a line down the coast with the Atlantic and then the Mediterranean Sea. "After following the coast for a few days-"

"You made that kind of progress?"

"I wasn't walking," she said, "I was using the muggle train system."

"Wasn't it dangerous?"

She shook her head, "Here," she made a red circle, "Is where I first encountered her," it was in the tiny space between the Italian border and Monaco in France.

"What happened?"

"She appeared on the train and killed three muggles, yelling for my blood and calling me a traitor and murderer." She began to trace the line again, "Then I was here, close to Genoa when we met again."

"So the attacks were close together?"

"I spent two weeks in hiding in Monaco before moving on."

"Oh."

"Anyways," she said, "Near Genoa she appeared again and killed a pair of muggles and left the Dead Queen's symbol in the sky."

"This was before the war?"

"In February," she paused, "The first, I think."

"Chael's birthday," Draco said and looked to his godfather.

She frowned, "Is that significant?"

"I should imagine," Draco said and frowned back at her. "My mother had her second child the same day Cuida attacks you."

She stood to her full height, as tall as the blond snake, "That is one of many attacks and I'm sure we could find something significant about every one of the days but we haven't the time." She turned back to the map, "I made my way South, then, into Rome and I stayed there for a fortnight, trying to gather support from the Italians but I could make no progress and so moved on. By the dawn of March I was in Seovenia, near Ljbuliana and heading North towards Austria."

"Why did you go all the way down to Rome and then just go north again?"

"I was stalling for time," she answered, "I wanted to wait, to see if the war unraveled itself and I would not be forced to kill Lucius."

"But, I-"

She cut him off, "After I entered Austria the trip became more perilous, Cuida attacked me four times in as many days. I was nearly in Graz before she stopped."

Blaise folded his arms over his chest and watched her continue the dawdling line North to the Czech Republic then out into Germany, almost to Berlin before she swung East again and entered northern Poland. The line trailed out, into Belarus then South through the Ukraine, Moldova, Romania and then veered North through Hungary and Slovakia. She claimed it was in mid July that she reached Krakow and found Lucius. This begged the question of why she did not return to England in March, after the war. She was in Germany and well enough to take the relatively short trip from Berlin to Brussels and then to London where she could hop the Express to Hogwarts. Ron asked her this, much to Blaise's surprise and the turned her dark eyes to him.

"I had a Spaniard trailing me and I did not think putting myself in an enclosed space to be a good idea, especially after her earlier attacks on me."

Ron did not seem to believe her but they listened as she recounted what she did for the last six weeks of summer and the first fortnight of the school year. She was in Poland, devising a plan to trap and ruin Cuida and then making slow and careful progress to the school.

Draco stepped back from the table and he and Hermione exchanged a look.

"Pansy, love," Draco spoke, "Calm down. I think you should sleep and we can all talk in the morning."

She started to speak but stopped. Harry could see it in her eyes, she released whatever she was holding on to. The blackness of her eyes lightened to the soft, honest brown they had been before and the ugly grey of her skin flushed with pink. Everything about her released and she shivered, as if she was feeling the cold she had experienced over the months, the heat and hunger and pain. She collapsed to the ground, "I'm so tired."

He knelt next to her, "I know, Pansy, I know."

They helped her stand and walked her back to Slytherin.

She lay down on her bed, inhaled deeply and turned her head away from them.

They left her, silently and went into the Common Room and out.

"What are we going to do?"

"I had hoped we were through with all this war and evil shite but maybe we'll never be totally finished."

"It's not our job anymore," Hermione said, "Harry did what he needed to, we helped, now it is up to the Ministry and the Aurors, not us."

"I agree," Blaise said. "Cuida is not our responsibility."

"We fought our war," Draco agreed, "And we have no debt left."

"I agree," Ron nodded.

"Harry?" they turned to him and the green eyed lion shrugged.

"I don't think it is our job necessarily but if Pansy thinks we should help then-"

They all cut him off by groaning. Draco leapt on to his back and rested his chin on top of Harry's head.

"You're such a hero, you know that?"

"Yeah," he smiled, "I know."

"You think we should make waves and look for Cuida?"

"We'll start," Hermione said, "By checking out reports in muggle newspapers to correspond with the attacks. We'll have to make a timeline and figure out a pattern of behavior."

"Then," Theo continued, "We'll place tracking spells and try and bait her for another attack. Of course, then we will need to create plans and involve the Ministry, Aurors, Azkaban guards, the Wizengamot and foreign ministries. Dumbledore will have to be informed and we should ask Azriel and Julian if they can help."

Draco sighed.

"What's wrong with you?" Ron asked the blonde.

"I could care less about Cuida and what she does. I worry about Pansy and what she's been through and what she'll do to herself now that it is all over."

"We should all stay with her for a while and show our support until she gets back on her feet."

"I think we can all agree on that."

They nodded.

"Let's go get ice-cream."

Everyone smiled at Blaise and agreed that it would make everything just a little better.

* * *

**WOO! Costa Rica was great and it was awesome to come home and find a buttload of reviews. You guys rock my universe.**

Harry: YAAAY!

**Draco: Yo quiero reviews!**

**Blaise::loves reviewers::**

**Ron: Hey!**

**Hermione: Now, now Ron, Blaise has always been very affectionate, calm down**

**Ron: Yeah...but, but that one pinched his bum!**

**Theo: I don't need to know anything about who is touching his bum.**

**Harry: Draco and I vote that there is a chapter full of snogging soon because that would be awesome.**

**FireStorm: I suppose that would be fine, I mean, everyone has been awesome about reviewing and things so that would be a good present. **

**Harry: SWEET!**

**Draco: And poor Theo and Hermione need to take their relationship to the next level-**

**Ron: And Blaise and I need to tell my mommy-**

**Blaise: And that old guy has to-**

**Harry: And we have to help Pansy-**

**Hermione: Classes! We have to go to classes-**

**Draco: And my brother, talk about my brother and Severus-**

**FireStorm: OKAY! It's all coming up, I promise, jeez!**

**LOVE  
FireStorm and the kids**


	8. And the Daily Prophet says

**::20 September::**

"So, Ronald," Harry smiled to him, "Told mummy yet?"

Ron turned red and looked away, "I-"

"Don't pressure him," Blaise said and held Ron's hand, "I love him no matter when he tells Mrs. Weasley about us."

"Awww," Draco made a noise. "You two are so sweet."

"Your mum will still love you though, Ron-"

"Yeah," he nodded, "But it's easier when you don't have to live with her."

"She accepted Theo and me-"

"I know," he cut her off again, "But have you told your parents yet?"

Hermione closed her mouth and shrugged, "Theo and I had thought about spending the holidays with my parents…"

"It'll be easier for you," Ron tried to reassure her, "I mean, your parents are cool with magic and everything-"

"And your parents are okay with the gays, I mean, they still love me," Harry said.

"And your mother thinks I'm the greatest thing ever," Draco smiled.

"But she hates Blaise," Ron said and sighed, "I'm so nervous about it, just thinking about it makes me all antsy."

Draco groaned, "Be a man!"

Ron flinched just a little and then gave the tiniest of nods, "Blaise deserves that at least."

The Italian smiled, "So, when are you going to tell her?"

"Soon," he promised, "What if we floo home this weekend and we can tell her."

Blaise, in smiling glory, kissed the redhead, "You're amazing Ronny."

He just grinned and shrugged, "It's how I am."

Draco smiled.

They lay across the floors and couches of the Room of Requirement, thankful for a Saturday without interruption. Harry stretched.

"What are we going to do today?" someone asked and the lion sat up.

"It's the weekend," Hermione said, "We could study for-"

A loud groan covered the end of her sentence.

"Okay, fine," she sighed.

The door swung open.

"Hey," the all smiled as Pansy walked in. She was healthier looking and in her old school uniform. Her black hair was held away from her face and the sharp angles of cheeks and jaw were more pronounced. She almost smiled back and sat down in the high backed chair near the fireplace.

"What are you kids loafing around for?"

"It's Saturday," Blaise said, "And next weekend Ronny and I are going to his house to tell his parents about our relationship."

She nodded, "When are you all going to go public?"

Draco and Harry shrugged.

Pansy reached out and picked an apple from the bowl of fruit, her sharp teeth appeared and she took a large bite.

"We are…waiting for everything to settle and then we'll discuss it."

"Too late," she said and pulled the prophet from her pocket. "Special Saturday edition."

She unfolded it and set it on the table. They all gathered around the headline: "Ice Prince and Wizarding World Savior in Love?"

"Oh no," Draco dropped his head into his hands when he saw the photo. The boys were standing together, holding hands and smiling, talking to the same group they were currently surrounded by.

The two in question sat back and sighed heavily.

Hermione picked up the paper and began to read aloud.

"The Prince of Snakes, Draconis Malfoy (7th Year) has long had a reputation of being 'well versed in the art of love' but who would have thought that his skills would land him the hottest bachelor in England? Draco Malfoy, the son of Lord Lucius Malfoy, is a seventeen-year-old God among men, his white hair and stormy eyes hide his true nature as a party animal. The young Lord, having switched sides in the Dark War, was seen fighting alongside the hero of the war, Harry Potter. Witnesses say they 'fought as one' and 'seemed to know each other so well it was unreal.' Harry Potter, only recently having turned seventeen himself, is still enrolled in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the two boys met and, according to a source within the school "Always had a real violent relationship, they fought each other all the time…until last year." Is it possible these two have been having an affair since before the war? Is that why Malfoy switched sides? Harry Potter, orphaned at birth and raised in a muggle family without love, is understandably longing for companionship. His failed romances with Hermione Granger, Ginerva Weasley and Cho Chang left him cold and alone. Until the perfect smile of Draco Malfoy entered the picture. The long and tumultuous relationship they had had for the past six years finally boiled over into love. Perhaps a fight where they got too close? A sudden change of heart? It is uncertain how, exactly, it started but suspicions were raised when, in July, Harry invited the young Lord to his side for photos after Potter's godfather, Sirius Black, was cleared of all crimes. "They looked really close, just sort of leaned into one another just right, like they had done it before, you know?" a witness stated. For the rest of the story and photos see page nineteen." Hermione set down the paper and glared, "That dirty bitch. Skeeter is behind this I know it, who else would claim that Harry and I fancied each other."

Pansy took another bite, "What are you going to do?"

"I dunno," Harry sighed, "I really don't want all this publicity right now, I'm tired of-"

"Holy Merlin!" Blaise had, of course, gone to the photos, "RON!"

They all looked and saw a picture of Harry and Draco, arms around one another at Harry's birthday and, just to the left, Ron and Blaise were kissing.

"We may have to go home before next weekend," Ron said and tried to swallow the rapidly forming lump in his throat.

Pansy gave a little smirk, "Good luck."

"What are you smiling about?" Draco asked.

"I know who leaked all those photos and all that information to the press."

"Who?" Everyone moved closer to her.

"The Creevey brothers with the photos and none other than that rat-faced brat Nettle with the quotes."

"Nettle?" Ron had no idea who that was.

"He's in our year, a snake we hate to admit but a right shit," Blaise snarled, "Excuse me while I smash his ruddy little face in."

"Whoa," Draco grabbed him, "Hold on, hold on. Let's think about this."

"What is there to think about?"

"Well, Harry and I have to decide what to do."

Harry shrugged, "We were going to tell them eventually, I can imagine that now is as good a time as any…"

"I agree," Draco said, "Now, how do we go about handling this."

Harry shrugged again.

"You should do an interview with the prophet, talk about what really happened and how strong your relationship is and how you hope the love you have will open the eyes of the wizarding world to the idea that love conquers all. Wars be damned," Theo said and then tapped his index finger to his bottom lip. "I can call my associate at the paper and have an interview set up for you within the week."

The boys looked at each other. "I like the idea of getting it in the open like that and maybe then we can just move on with our lives."

Harry agreed.

"But what about Ron and me?" Blaise asked.

"You two can deal with the Weasley matriarch primarily, you're not into the papers headlines yet so it's not such a pressing matter."

"Yeah, okay," Ron nodded, "Come on Blaise, help me write my mom a letter."

Blaise followed him out.

Pansy took another bite.

"Theo, call your friend," Draco said and the blonde nodded and left the room.

"What are we going to do?" Hermione asked.

"We just settled that," Harry said.

"She means within the school," Draco informed him, "They are more immediate than the prophet. We'll have to make a statement that we're either very much together…"

"I have an idea," Harry grinned and rolled on top of the blonde. He kissed his cheeks and nose and made a growling sound as the blonde laughed and squirmed to try and get away.

"Oh really," Pansy threw the apple core at them, "Stop being such absolute flamers."

Harry laughed at sat up. The snake appeared just a moment later, his hair as wild as Harry's and a light blush over his features.

The black haired snake smiled, "Rolling into the Great Hall together and looked unreasonably well snogged would surely make the statement you're looking for: we shag like rabbits, hazah!"

Draco shrugged, "You're being nasty today Pansy."

She shrugged, "It's how I work, deal with it."

"Well," he made a noise at her, "See if I make you a Halloween card."

"I'm going to get myself some scotch," she said and stood, "You comin' honey?"

Hermione stood, "Sure."

The girls left and the lovers exchanged looks.

"What was that all about?"

"What did you want to talk about Pansy?"

The black haired girl shrugged and they walked onto the school grounds where, in the warm afternoon, students were scattered around the grounds reading the prophet, "I really need to figure everything out."

"Okay," Hermione nodded. The past few days had been rough. Pansy had gone to St. Mungos for tests and then waited anxiously for the results. She had smoked a carton of Magic Blacks and spent each night in front of the fire nursing a bottle of scotch. She seventeen books on war and post-traumatic stress disorder as well as researched therapists and cleansing mages. Violet had spent a few hours each day with her, trying to sort things out but Pansy was nearly out of reach. It was only the past day or two that she had regained herself and started talking to them again.

"I want to get back into classes and back into my life."

"Talk to the Head Master, I'm sure he'll let you go back to class."

She nodded, "We have a meeting at a quarter past eight but I hate…I hate being stared at like this."

"Really? I thought you would have been used to it."

She shook her head, "Draco and Blaise get the looks, I like standing to the side but this, now, with everyone staring and saying 'didn't she die in the war?' 'where was she last year?' and all their words it makes me insane."

"Why do you let it effect you? You never cared before," Hermione said and the snake sighed.

"I don't know," she admitted, "But I hate it."

"Hey," a fifth year ran up to them, "Is it true?"

Her eyes narrowed, "Is what true?"

"That Malfoy is shagging Harry Potter," he exclaimed as if she were stupid.

"Let me check," she snarled, drew her wand and hexed him. "Come on Granger."

Hermione followed her, "That was inappropriate, Pansy, he didn't deserve tha-"

"I've done a lot worse for a lot less."

"You have?" Hermione frowned and the snake nodded, "Sometimes, Pansy, I'm scared to know you, to know what you've done…"

"Why do you think I'm trying to forget? I've done terrible things, many of them within the past few months and all I want is to move on but too bad, Granger, I can't."

Hermione nodded slowly. "I'm sorry for what happened to you."

"Me too."

* * *

**So, it's a little short but, yeah...it took me a long time to start really working again after my long long vacation. **

**Harry: Slacker**

**Blaise: Yeah, some of us want to get things going here but lazy-gal would rather sit around with cute boys or make cookies or go to school. I mean really, who goes to school?**

**Draco: No one cool, that's who.**

**Blaise: yeah!**

**FireStorm: Sorry kids, I really feel bad about it. Within a couple chapters I want to write a little chapter long interlude about Sirius and Remus 'cuz they're just so cute. Some other big things are coming up according to the plot line: A One Year anniversary for Draco and Harry as well as Ron and Blaise telling Mrs. Weasley. WEE! Who else is excited?**

**Ron: ME!**

**Blaise: Yeah, me too!**

**Draco: Come on, come on, just write my smut already!**

**FireStorm: If you insist. ::evil grin::**

**LOVE!  
Fire and the boys**


	9. Mum says no but my heart says yes

**::22 September::**

The boys had yet to face the student body. They were skipping breakfast to have an interview with the reporter. Meals for the past day and a half were held in the Room of Requirement with their friends. Not that they were scared…not really.

Draco, in green and black sat in a wing backed chair with a large cup of coffee in front of him and an ashtray. Harry wore his favorite muggle jeans and a chudley canon's shirt that Ron gave him.

The reporter was a devilish man with a handlebar mustache and a bowler cap in black. The photographer sat nearby prepping the camera and waiting.

"So," the reporter smiled, "I have a few questions first and we'll see where it goes from there."

"Of course," the boys sat next to each other but not too close.

"How did your relationship first start?"

"We met a long time ago," Draco said. "First Year and we got off to a poor start. It was all fights and nasty remarks from there until Fifth Year."

"And what happened in Fifth Year?"

Draco smiled, "Nothing particular except it was the last year that we were nasty to one another."

"Over the summer," Harry said, "With the war coming and everything weighing down on me so much I was willing to let go of every fight we had ever had and start anew."

"He offered a truce on the train ride at the beginning of sixth year, just before the Death Eater attack."

"Oh?"

"Then we were stuck in the hospital wing with each other for awhile and tensions just…disappeared," Draco said, "We started to get along really well. We just sort of happened then…sort of an accident really. We were hiding from the Head Master in a little alcove and kissed. After that it all fell into place."

"That was in what month of last year?"

"We started going together, officially, on the seventeenth of October," Harry said. "At least that's when we're celebrating our one-year anniversary."

"Have you had any troubles with your friends or family?"

"My aunt and uncle don't know."

"And my mother was fine, we didn't tell my father until after the war but he has accepted us and loves me still."

"Your friends?"

"They love us no matter what and they support us in our decision."

"How sweet," he smiled and showed his sharp teeth. "Tell me, why did you keep it a secret?"

"We felt," Draco said and sipped his coffee, "That who we are and the situation of the wizarding world at the time would bring pressures onto the relationship and we wanted to see if we would work first, we wanted to be sure. Now we are."

"And what are your plans for the rest of the year?"

"Finish school," Harry said, "When we graduate I'm going to start training to become an Auror and Draco is going to-"

"I'm going to begin working in muggle-wizarding relations, more philanthropy than an actual career. I'll be working to promote understanding and acceptance in the wizarding community."

"That's a nice thing," the reporter sounded impressed, "You seem to have grown up."

"I have," Draco said, "The death of my mother and my transformation into adulthood has been difficult but I have had Harry with me the whole time and I'm very glad to know he is there for me. My friends, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson are very important to me as well and they have helped me become a better wizard and man."

"Your experience in the war must have been different from most peoples, can you tell me a little about that?"

"Of course," Draco leaned forward. Harry could tell right then that Draco had this reporter wrapped around his pale fingers and it was easy for the snake to pull the strings and smile. The story would reflect brilliantly on their love and life together. Harry could have stood on the table and sung "I'm a little teapot" and it would not make a speck of difference. Harry listened as Draco recounted his decision to betray the legacy of his father and join with the man he loved to fight evil in the final battle, how his loyalty to his mother was stronger than anything the Dark Lord could offer, it was true but very…embellished.

"And Mr. Potter," the man finally turned to him, "Did you support Draco the whole way?"

"Always," he nodded, "Draco is my boyfriend and as far as I define that, it means I have to support him and care for him and be there for him when he needs me. I don't understand some of the things he says and does, either by my own ignorance or for some other reason, but I know that he's smart and independent and wonderful. I know he can accomplish anything he wants and I'll always be there for him, no matter what."

"You two are very lucky to have each other," he said. "We're going to take a few photos and the story will be tomorrow's front-page."

The boys nodded, thanked him and stood up as the photographer came over.

"Just," he paused, "be cute."

Harry laughed and put his arm around Draco. The blonde leaned against him and they smiled. The photo snapped and the reporter grinned, "Perfect."

"Thank-you," the boys waved them off.

"That went astonishingly well."

"It did," Draco smiled and kissed Harry on the cheek.

**::26 September::**

**::Severus Snape's Quarters::**

"What is all this?" Draco asked as he entered his godfather's rooms.

"I'm heading to Krakow for a month."

"What?"

Severus levitated clothes and books into a pair of trunks.

"It's so that I can-"

"No," Draco stopped his words, "You're going to Poland. Why?"

"I have to get away from here," he said plainly.

"You're taking Chael?"

"Of course."

"But," Draco paused, "I don't like it."

Severus stood up straight and looked his godson in the eye, "I know, Draco, but it is for my health-"

"What's wrong with you? Stay here and I'll have the best medi-"

"No, Draco, it cannot be fixed with a mediwitch."

"But what is there in Krakow that can help you?"

"Lucius."

"What?"

"Your father knows what it is like to lose Narcissa and I need help getting-"

Draco nodded, "Fine, go."

"I don't want you to be-"

"I'm already mad, Severus." He snapped, "Just leave, I'll see you in a month." The blonde stormed out of the room and slammed the door.

Chael, who was sitting on the bed with a smirk and a pair of wooden blocks, blinked his big blue-green eyes and giggled.

**::27 September::**

"Where are you two going?" Harry asked.

"The Burrow," Ron said, "Mum never sent a reply to my letter so we're going to see her and talk things out."

Blaise was grinning like a fool and holding Ron's hand.

"Oooh," the Boy Wonder smiled, "Good luck."

"Thanks."

"Hey," he stopped them. "Have either of you seen Draco? I haven't seen him since dinner last night."

"No," Ron shrugged, "We were in the kitchens and on Shag Terrace all night, didn't see him once."

"All right, thanks anyways," Harry sighed.

"He's probably in his rooms and just isn't letting anyone in."

"Why?"

"Severus left for Krakow early this morning and Draco's probably pissy about it. He's most likely thinking that Sev is choosing Lucius over him and that makes him angry."

"Oh," Harry nodded.

Blaise smiled, "Give him a while and he'll be okay."

"Thanks," Harry gave them a short smile. The two purebloods walked off and left Harry to sigh all by his lonesome.

He walked to the place where Draco's private rooms where and he knocked for the billionth time.

"You again?" the new painting asked. "Really Mr. Potter, he's not in there."

"But Blaise said he might be."

"No, he certainly is not," the falcon said. It spoke like a human in a heavy Irish brogue and it always gave the boys a strange look.

"Really, where could he be then?"

"No idea," the falcon said, "but why don't you go look for him 'eh?"

Harry frowned, disliking how rude the bird was, and walked away.

**::Burrow::**

"Mum?" Ron knocked on the door and pushed it open. "Mum, it's me, Ron…"

"Ron?" His father called, "What are you doing home?"

"We came to talk to you and mum about…well," Ron just walked in and saw his father coming from the workshop in the basement where he played with muggle things all day.

"Oh," Arthur nodded when he saw Blaise. The patriarch finished cleaning grease from between his fingers and motioned to the kitchen, "Please, come sit, I'll get your mother from the garden. She's planting for the spring."

Arthur walked out back as the boys sat down.

"Molly, love, come inside for a moment, would you?"

She came in and stopped when she saw her son and the Italian.

"I wondered when you would come by."

Ron just gave her a weak smile, "You're not mad, are you?"

She shook her head, "I'm not mad."

"Good." Ron grinned, "Now that that is settled," he tried to stand to leave but Blaise grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.

"No, Ron, we have things to talk about."

Molly seemed to agree, "I'm going to make tea and sandwiches. Would you like your favorite, Ron?"

"Yes ma'am."

Blaise smiled. He knew what Ron's favorite was.

She went about making the corned beef, onion, lettuce and cheese sandwich on rye bread while Ron sat quietly staring at his hands.

"Would you like anything, Blaise?"

"Just a half cheese sandwich, please."

She made it and brought them both to the table.

She sat down.

"Now, Ron, I understand that breaking up with Hermione was hard and seeing her move on was hard but do you really think going gay will solve things?"

He was quiet, "I'm not dating Blaise because I'm upset about Her-" She gave him a look and Ron went silent, "I'm not though."

Blaise gave a tiny sigh, "Mrs. Weasley, Ron and I are having our year anniversary in November, it's not just a phase or to get over someone. Ron and I care about each other a lot and…it's not as though there is a dearth of sons to keep the family name going and, really, you support Harry and Draco, I should hope you can support Ron and me."

She gave him a stern and slightly pinched look, "Mr. Zabini, Ronald is my youngest son and I want what is best for him. I'll be honest and say that I don't trust you. With who you are and who your mother is and knowing who your father was I don't think you're going to turn out well and I don't like you. You're more snake than Salazar Slytherin was and your venom is not welcome in my house."

He frowned.

Ron groaned, "Mum, I trust Blaise, he is what is best for me and I don't care how 'snake' he is, he's my snake and I really, really care about him. Harry can be happy, so can I. Just give him a chance."

"His father-"

"Draco's father killed more than twenty-five wizards and witches, and you gave Draco a second chance. Theo's father was a dark wizard with an iron eye and a blood-core wand and you gave Theo a second chance. My father got drunk a lot and I don't get a second chance? Rather hypocritical don't you think?"

She glared.

"Blaise," Ron nudged him, "Please be nice. Mum, I know you want what is best for me but I'm a legal adult and we don't have to be here talking to you about this but I don't want to exclude you from my life, from our life. Please, mum, try and understand this. I know it's hard but can't you look at us and see how happy we are together?"

Mrs. Weasley narrowed her eyes, "Ron, go to your room, I think there are some things Mr. Zabini and I have to discuss."

"No," he snapped, "This is my boyfriend and I'll stay right here, thanks."

"Then stay quiet for a few minutes and don't ask questions."

He nodded.

"Zabini," she said, "You are a cold little devil, manipulative and disgraceful. Your mother is a whore and your father was a drug-addicted drunkard, something I'm sure you shall be too. I don't doubt my son has good intentions with you but you are all falsehoods and backstabbing. Whatever you are doing with my son must end and soon. We have very little money so the gold digging tactics your mother taught you are useless. My son is a promising young man and I want you to leave him alone and stop holding him back."

Blaise never blinked. "I'm a pureblood, Mrs. Weasley, a man of honor and means. I have my own fortune and I don't need Ron for money. I've kicked drugs and I hardly drink at all anymore. I have never lied to Ron and I don't ever want to. We are good kids and I'm not holding him back from anything. Whatever he wants to do, he can do it, I'll love him all the same."

She was quiet.

"Why is it you think I should trust you? Theodore and Draco proved themselves. Draco saved Harry and he will grow up to be a great man. Theodore is one of the most intelligent wizards and he'll provide for Hermione, he loves her. You? You're the son of a whore, raised in debauchery and destined to failure."

"I'm a lot of things, Mrs. Weasley, but what I will become is entirely up to me and I will not be a failure."

She shook her head.

He just stared at her.

"I do not condone this relationship but there is nothing I can do to stop it." Her eyes turned to Ron, "Carry on if you wish but when it all falls apart remember that we are here for you." She stood and put her gardening gloves on, "I'll see you at Christmas, Ronald."

The boys looked at each other.

"Sudden change of heart, 'eh?"

Blaise hummed, "She really hates me."

"Yeah," Ron agreed, "But I like you and that's what matters."

"Right," Blaise smiled. "Let's go back and sort out what is going on with Harry and Drake."

* * *

**Oh no!**

**Will Mrs. Weasley come around?**

**Will Draco be okay?**

**How did the article go over?**

**So many questions!**

**Draco: Pfft. You are a highly dramatic person, you know that?**

**FireStorm: It's fun though.**

**Blaise: Yeah Drake, don't be a wussy pussy.**

**Draco: A what?**

**Pansy: A wussy pussy. Didn't you hear him?**

**Draco: What is a wussy pussy?**

**Blaise: A rhyme! HAHAHAA!**

**Theodore: Oh my word, I might just kill him.**

**FireStorm: Agreed.**

**Blaise: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

**Draco: Can I have one of whatever he's drinking?**

**FireStorm: Another End of the World please, Peeves.**

**::Everbody gets real drunk::**

**Okay, yay! That's all.**

**If you want to know, an "End of the World" is Bacardi 151 rum, vodka and wild turkey (that translates into EXTREMELY alchoholic).**

**LOVE  
Fire and the Gang**


	10. Silly old England

**::Hogwarts::**

**::7****th**** Year Gryffindor Boys Room::**

"Where is he?" Harry asked himself out loud. He groaned and rolled over, throwing the Quidditch magazine to the ground. His rooms were awkward and foreign to him, like a hotel or rented room. It was all very clean and unlived in since he spent his time mostly in Draco's private rooms. He was exceedingly uncomfortable.

"Hey," Seamus smiled as he pushed open the door, "Have you been here all day?"

"Yeah."

"Where's your boyfriend?" Dean asked.

"I dunno."

They exchanged looks.

"Is everything okay?"

"People are talking, you know," Seamus said, "You haven't been seen at all and the girls have all already started chattering about a break up."

"What?" Harry sat up swiftly.

"Yeah," Dean confirmed, "Someone mentioned a fight and then it just exploded and now everyone is on about it."

"Are you serious?" Harry put the heels of his palms to his eyes, trying to stop his brain from exploding.

"Yeah man," Seamus said, "The girls are going nuts though, they all want you two."

He pushed harder. "I really wish people would stop interfering in my personal life."

"Sorry mate," they smiled, "That is what happens when you buy into the most famous and talked about family in wizarding history."

"Yeah," Dean grinned, "Every week has something about them in some magazine or newspaper."

Harry sighed.

"And now they all talk about you too," Seamus added and began searching through his trunk. "You are a big hit with them."

"Good," he said, "I guess that is a good thing."

"It is," Dean assured him.

"I'm going to find my boyfriend," Harry said and stood up.

"Careful mate," Seamus warned, "The girls are all in the common room waiting to pounce you."

"Shite," Harry groaned.

"God speed," Dean smiled and saluted him as he walked out.

Down the stairs and into the common room and all the while Harry was offering up a silent prayer for some tremendous distraction so he could slip out without incident.

No such luck.

"Harry!" Lavender screeched, "There you are, come here so we can talk!"

"I really ca-"

Padma was at his side in a split second, "Really, come sit with us."

"No, I-"

They dragged him to a couch and, like the locust plague of Egypt, the women swarmed on him and blotted out the light.

**::Draco Malfoy's Private Rooms on the Fifth Floor's West Corridor near the stained glass window of Merlin::**

Draco sighed.

Indigo was curled on one of the chairs. He had snuck her into school this year. She hissed softly at him and then set her head down again.

"Fucking Merlin, Indigo," he stood and began to pace. "Snape is off in Poland for Merlin knows why and I'm sitting on my arse in my rooms not letting my boyfriend or anyone come see me and I'm talking to a damn snake." He stopped pacing and sat on the edge of his bed. The snake tilted her head to the side and hissed at him.

"I agree," he lied and stood again, "It's just so frustrating. Severus is my godfather and he has my brother and he doesn't even like Lucius but he goes there? I know what it is like to lose Narcissa, she was my mother! But does he talk to me about it? No! He goes to my father. I don't understand it."

The portraits on the wall nodded in agreement. The hawk, sitting on the shoulder of an old man with green eyes and black hair, screeched and flapped its wings.

"What?"

"A visitor," it said and flew around to the front then returned. "Do you want to see-"

"No," Draco snapped and the creature flew back.

Indigo, who had a strange dislike for the hawk, hissed at him. The hawk snapped it's beak at her and they glared for a moment. Draco crossed his arms and pouted. "I hate this."

"Draco!" Someone shouted through the door, "You dramatic little prick!"

It was Blaise.

The hawk flew out.

"I don't give a shite!" Blaise screamed. "Open this damn door before I bust through and make a fool of myself."

Draco glared at the door.

"Draco," his voice was warning and the blonde quickly grabbed the door and pulled it open.

Blaise flipped some hair from his face and stepped inside. "Thank-you."

"Bloody hell Blaise, what were you planning to do?"

"Oh, nothing," he said and shrugged, pocketing his wand and the jar of marmalade. "Nothing at all."

Draco gave him a very weird look. "What do you want?"

"You've been in here for two days straight and the school is all aflutter with noise that you and Harold have broken up."

"What?" the blonde nearly screamed.

"Yeah, your sudden disappearance has sent all the girls into tizzy fits. They all want to shag you and Harry."

"That's stupid." Draco snarled, "Harry and I haven't broken up and-"

"I know that," he said, "But they don't," and he motioned back out the door towards the rest of the castle.

"Merlin," Draco sighed, "I should do something, shouldn't I?"

"Uhm, yeah," Blaise nodded.

"Bloody hell," Draco picked up Indigo and set her on his desk. "Take this note to Harry Potter, okay?"

The snake nodded and watched Draco scrawl out a time and place to meet.

He held it out and Indigo closed her jaws around it. She slipped down and out of the room before the boys spoke again.

"So…?"

"Ron's mother abhors me," Blaise said and sat down on the couch. He lit the fire and sighed, "Merlin, Drake, she thinks I'm some sort of awful drunkard whore who is involved with her baby."

"I'm sorry, Blaise. Maybe if you send her a card or something it'll help."

"I called her a hypocrite and said she was unreasonable and…generally offended her."

"Then maybe a little more than a card…" Draco bit his bottom lip in thought. "Let's send her a cake."

"Seriously?"

"Sure," Draco nodded, "I know a great pastry chef in downtown London."

"I-"

"We can go right now and we'll be back before classes start tomorrow morning."

Blaise looked around the room.

"What about your meeting with Harry?"

Draco shrugged, "It's for tomorrow night anyways."

"All right," he nodded, "Let's go."

They went to the fireplace.

"Are you hooked up to floo?" Blaise asked.

Draco grinned and threw a handful of black powder in, "No, but I am hooked up to the Gloo Network."

Blaise smiled too.

Gloo was a version of the Floo Network designed specifically for those in the highest tiers of society. It was more comfortable than Floo-ing and it did not have the same restriction of Floo. It could be used in the castle without consent from Dumbledore. That was the main advantage.

**::Gryffindor Common Room::**

"Really, I have to get going," Harry said for the billion and fourth time. "I need to-"

"No, Harry," Lavender was clasped to his arm like some horrible squid beast.

Harry sighed and tried to find a way to escape.

He heard the door open but a fifth year blocked his view.

"What the bloody hell is all this?"

It was Ron.

Harry yelped from inside the pile and he saw Ron shoving girls out of the way.

"Girls, girls," Ron said, "Let him up."

"But we're talking to him," Padma said.

"No, you're trying to kill him," Ron said and reached in, picked Harry up under the armpits and pulled him out. Harry, who was only an inch and a half shorter than Ron, was rather embarrassed at being scooped out of a pile of women. Lavender and the girls pouted loudly at their loss but did not make an attempt to snatch him again.

"_Hey, Potter."_

Harry turned and saw Indigo on the ground.

A girl spotted her and screamed.

"Oh shit," Harry grabbed at the snake before the stampede could start.

"_Idiots_," Indigo snarled and motioned with her tail towards the slip of paper on the floor. _"That's for you from Draco."_

Harry knelt for it and opened it.

"Monday Night

Shag Terrace

Midnight

Sorry for being a twat

Love,

Draco"

"Okay," Harry nodded to Indigo, "_I'll be there."_

"_Good thing Draco understands snakes, I'll just relay that message to him,_" she said sarcastically.

"_Sorry," _Harry smiled. He walked her up to his room and wrote his answer on the other side of the note.

Indigo took the slip of paper and slipped off into the shadows of the castle.

"What was that?" Seamus asked.

"Draco's snake," Harry answered.

Ron walked in, looking rather shaken, "Holy shite, mate, the girls all went bonkers."

"Sorry," Harry said, "I had to respond to Draco."

"He's talking again?"

"Yeah, just sent me a message and I responded. We're going to talk tomorrow night."

"Good."

"How did it go with your mum?"

Ron shrugged.

The two boys quickly left and made their way out of the common room (now barren of girls) and into the hallway.

"What happened?"

"She hates Blaise…a lot," he said, "We got into a bit of a fight and she thinks he's a drunkard whore and an evil prick and all sorts of nasty things. She…I don't know what's going on but it's really upsetting. I mean, she should trust me."

"That's horrid, mate," Harry sympathized.

"I know," Ron ran a hand through his hair. "But what can I do?"

"You're legal, mate, she can't tell you not to see him. It'd be nice for her to accept and support you but…maybe you just have to do this on your own."

"Yeah," Ron sighed.

"Where's Blaise?"

"With your boyfriend, I think, probably making trouble."

Harry smiled.

"I'm glad someone is with him."

"Yeah," Ron agreed.

They turned a corner and saw her.

She was standing with her arms crossed and a rather sour look on her face.

"Oh…" Ron trailed off.

"Hi," Harry smiled, "We were just, uhm, going that way."

Hermione shook her head.

"Oh no, you two are coming with me."

"But we were-"

"Nope," she grabbed them and began to drag them towards the library. "We're going to start working on this Cuida thing."

"Are you kidding me?" Ron groaned.

"We're starting with a map then we're going to work on figuring out how she escaped."

"But we-"

"And then we have homework to finish," she said, "Can you believe that Snape just up and left? Good thing Remus knows a little something about potions or we would all be wasting a month learning nothing."

"Thank Merlin," the boys muttered.

"Are either of you done with your Defense essays yet?"

"The ones Lupin assigned?"

"Yes."

"No," they informed her, "He's teaching potions now so we don't have to do them."

"But-"

"Nope," they shook their heads.

The boys grinned and turned around, heading back down the hall.

She snatched them again, "Theodore and Blaise and Draco are spending some time together, we're going to do the same."

"By doing homework?"

She smiled, "Would you rather just get some food from the kitchens and hang out in the common room."

Harry shook his head, "Let's go to the room of requirements."

"Sure."

The boys each took one of her hands and walked with her down a hallway to the pear painting.

* * *

**I know it's late**

**and totally lamer than you had hoped**

**but it's here**

**and I'm sorry about all the lateness and lameness and everything**

**I really hope you don't hate me  
LOVE  
FireStorm**


	11. Buying a cake can be complicated

**::Draco Malfoy's Private Rooms on the Fifth Floor's West Corridor near the stained glass of Merlin::**

"Where the hell are they?" Theodore looked around for some sign. Indigo was on her chair. His papers were all in place. His school books were set neatly on the table where Draco kept them and everything seemed quite right in the rooms.

Theodore went to the fireplace in search of a note or clue. If the boys had left recently that is where the clues would be. He found three large jars. One of floo powder. One of gloo powder. The last was full of a strange red powder with shards of black and white in it. Theodore pulled a pinch out and rolled it between his thumb and middle finger, testing the texture.

"Odd," he said and dropped it again. He set this last jar back and knelt to examine the floor. A fine dusting of black ash touched the white marble at the foot of the fireplace. It indicated that either a large fire had recently been burning or they had just used the Gloo network.

He stood and opened the middle jar, "Draco Malfoy's most recent destination."

He threw a handful in and the fire crept out of the grate, wrapped around him and pulled him back in.

It was not the spinning, dizzying effect of flooing. It was like slow-motion, where you know it's not natural, you are moving at supersonic speeds and you feel dulled and almost drunk. Theo's eyes flashed over the golden hued fires all around him and he heard the thunderous crash of the sound barrier being broken. Then it stopped.

"You have arrived at Lady Amir's Bakery, welcome your lordship," a woman with horns brushed the tiniest fleck of ash from his shoulder and offered him a cup of tea.

"Thank-you," he said and took the tea before walking further into the rather expensive looking shop.

He spotted the white blonde head of Draco at the counter and next to him Blaise stood sipping tea and eating some sort of tarte.

"I really don't think she wants a cake from me," Blaise said, "She hates me and a two layer raspberry and chocolate mousse cake shant fix that."

"Well," Draco glowered, "Let's get it for us then, as a celebration of the public announcement of my relationship."

The woman behind the counter, a tall creature with long fingers and ram like horns curled on her head, smiled.

"What would you like to change the words to?"

Draco smiled and wrote something down.

"And it shall have to be a light lemon whip instead of the raspberry gelatin between the layers," Draco said, "I know that Theodore can't stand raspberry anything."

"True," Blaise nodded.

"It shall have to be finished by this coming Friday night," Draco said and the woman wrote this down. "I should also like a box of seven of the Devil's Favorite fudge cakes in the individual size delivered by Halloween. An order of three Lemon Gold pastries shall be sent to this address," he began to scrawl something, "As well as a blueberry muffin and a poppy seed muffin. I should also have some of your Indian coffee sent here too," Draco tapped his chin, "Yes, that shall do."

The woman nodded.

"Of course, of course," she lifted her head, "You would like a receipt for all this?"

"Naturally," Draco nodded.

She tapped her wand and handed the blonde a small sheet of paper. "All shall be delivered as asked."

"I'll be paying now," Draco said and scanned the list of purchases, "Seven galleons should cover it."

"More than enough," she said.

Theodore thought that was a little much. He knew that all that couldn't cost more than six and a few knuts. Draco was being showy again.

"That's very kind of you," she took the coins and slipped them into a pouch. "Everything will be taken care of."

"Perfect," the blonde turned to Blaise, "Do you want to go looking for winter clothes?"

Blaise smiled and was about to speak when the door opened.

Theodore recognized the dark hair and strong features immediately.

"Thank-you for your business Lord Malfoy," the woman finished gathering her papers and walked into the back of the store.

"Draco," the boy stalled and had the decency to blush a little.

"Sasha," Draco shot him a nasty glare.

"I didn't know…I thought Hogwarts did not let you off campus, I wouldn't have-I mean…" he trailed off.

Draco just glared.

There was a long, tense silence in the room.

The women who ran the shop stepped into the main area. They looked at each other.

"Is there a problem Lord Malfoy?"

"No," he said, "I was just leaving."

He and Blaise began to leave.

Sasha sighed, "I saw that you're dating Potter, officially."

Draco stopped, "Of course I am, you've known that for a while now."

He nodded, "I just, I wanted to say that I'm happy for you, you know, that you and he lasted so long and that you're working out so well."

"I'm sure," Draco answered and the disdain in his voice was apparent.

"Listen," Sasha snapped, "I'm sorry, okay, get over it. You say that you're over me but by the way you act you're still harboring some adolescent little grudge against me and I really don't get it. I've stayed out of your way and I don't think I've done anything to you or Potter. Why don't you get over me already?"

Draco snarled, "You're an awful mongrel Sasha. I knew you'd try and weasel your way back in after you showed up in Finland last year. You are a self centered brat."

"I'm sorry that I got defensive when you attacked me in a public place. I hadn't meant to intrude on your meal, I never meant to see you again, actually. I don't really want to get involved in the world you live in but I suppose I cannot even buy a cake in England without you appearing and making a scene."

"Then stay in bloody Italy!" Draco almost screamed.

"Get off your high hippogriff you prick," Sasha retorted with equal force, "You're Draco Malfoy, a drug addict and a whore."

"And you're a fool," Draco took a few sharp steps towards him, "I was willing to do anything for you you stupid arse and you blew it all to hell. I don't bloody need you, I'm better off now than I ever would be with you."

"No one can handle you, Malfoy," Sasha closed the gap a little more, "You don't listen and you don't care and you don't commit. I was being followed, my owl was being attacked, my house ransacked and my family questioned by reporters at all hours of the day and night. Malfoy, my whole life was public knowledge and no one can handle that. You're a curse, Malfoy and I don't think any real human can stay with you for more than a year before they feel it too."

Draco glared, "Bugger yourself."

Sasha crossed his arms, "Very mature, Malfoy."

"No one says those things to a Malfoy and gets away with it," Draco's voice was a hiss, coated in rage and hate.

He sneered and walked out, slamming the door with such force that the windows shook.

"Tell me," Sasha said, "Is he in love with the Boy Wonder?"

Blaise glared, "None of your bloody business, cad."

"I was curious, that's all," his evil smile betrayed him.

"You're a despicable beast," Blaise sneered, "I can't imagine why Draco cared about you at all."

"He cared about me because you're unreliable and self absorbed," Sasha snapped.

Blaise snarled.

"Back off, Sasha," Theodore stepped up, "You know we don't like you and we know you don't like us. Go back to Italy and stay the hell off our island."

Sasha's teeth showed as his upper lip curled in disgust, "You always were the passive aggressive one. Are you fucking that little muggle slut still?"

"You can figure that out on your own, ass bag," Theo responded.

His lips slipped into a smile, "Don't fall out of touch, boys," he turned and left the shop, smiling in a nearly evil way.

"I hate him," Theo said and walked to Blaise's side.

Blaise hummed.

He watched the retreating form. He pushed into the air and sensed Sasha's magic. It was strong and vicious. Much like an attack dog, Sasha seemed on edge and willing to attack anything that intruded. It was uncomfortable and Blaise felt disgust and distaste boil in him.

"Let's go find Draco."

The boys walked out of the shop and looked up and down the posh London street.

"Dammit," they both swore and knew it would be impossible to locate him.

**::Kitchens in Hogwarts Castle::**

"You were going to what?"

"Nothing," Harry insisted, "I wasn't going to do anything."

"Liar," she smiled, "You were going to do something nice for Draco."

"Is that such a bad thing?"

"No," she shook her head and spooned some ice cream into mostly comatose Ron, "It shows how much you care."

"Well, I do care," Harry insisted.

"I know," she agreed.

Ron made a noise and Hermione fed him another spoonful.

"Do you think he'll be happy to see me?"

"Why wouldn't he be?"

"I don't know," Harry shrugged, "He's been so moody since Snape up and vanished."

"Understandably."

"When's Snape coming back?" Ron asked.

"Next month, the twenty-sixth or so."

"Your one year anniversary is just before that, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded.

"You have planned something, haven't you?"

"There's a huge Gala in Madrid that weekend that he and I have to go to as part of the media blitz we're on. I think we're spending that Saturday in the city then the gala at night and then Sunday is our anniversary. We're being flown to a little island in Greece for dinner and the night." Harry said and added more chocolate sauce to his food.

"I don't expect you'll be in class that Monday," Hermione said.

"No," he shook his head, "Not at all."

She smiled.

**::Monday in Potions Class::**

Sirius stood at the front of the room frowning down at his cauldron.

The students sat peacefully awaiting instructions while their substitute for their substitute made a half-hearted attempt at a lesson.

"Where's Remus?" Ron whispered.

"The First Years had been promised a special lesson today and Lupin didn't want to disappoint them. It's just for today though," Hermione answered.

Harry watched his godfather try to figure out what to do.

"Okay," Sirius finally spoke, "Get out your supplies…and…a mixing spoon…and…" Sirius scratched his head, "Whoever brews a potion first gets full points for the day."

Hermione sighed and turned on the heat.

"Get me some water and goat snot, okay?"

Harry trudged up to the front, grabbed a pail of water and searched down a vial of the strange green-white substance.

"Whatcha brewin'?" Blaise asked as he too reached for a vial of goat snot.

"I have no idea," Harry admitted. He returned to Hermione and she poured the two things together.

"I need basil, centipede legs and crab eyes."

Harry almost groaned as he walked back to the front.

"Bloody women," Blaise muttered as he took a bottle from the shelf. He poured some of the dried crab eyes onto a small plate and moved on to the steel bowl full of basil.

Harry followed him in his collection of ingredients and they sighed to one another.

"Pansy?"

"Yeah," Blaise said and grabbed a handful of centipede legs, "Hermione?"

"Yeah."

They parted back to their tables.

Hermione began tossing things in seemingly randomly. It appeared that she had gathered a few ingredients too.

Harry watched.

It began to bubble and turn violet.

Harry twiddled his thumbs, bit at a fingernail that seemed too long, stared at the wall and made faces at Sirius.

"Done," Hermione announced just a moment later.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"A pain relieving balm," she said obviously and pointed to the thick white paste coating the inside of the cauldron.

"Oh," Harry nodded.

"Professor Black?"

"Yeah?" Sirius looked up.

"Harry, Ron and I are done."

"Great," Sirius wrote that down. "You three are excused, see you tomorrow."

Hermione packed her things and waited for the boys before she left.

Behind them Harry head Pansy announce that she and Blaise were done.

Harry glanced back, hoping to see Draco. He had not been in class or at breakfast or anything. He paused. The Italian pushed out the door and smiled to Ron who also happened to be waiting.

"Where's Draco?" He asked.

Blaise gave him a slightly nervous look, "Drake is…well…"

"Where is he?" Harry asked with more suspicion.

Blaise squirmed a little, "I don't actually know."

"Weren't you with him yesterday?"

"I was," he admitted.

Theo left the room and went to Hermione's side, curious as to what was happening.

"Well?"

"Sasha showed up and…well…he and Drake got into a massive fight and he ran off into London and that prick Sasha just sauntered away like the fat arse he is."

Harry glared.

"Draco is missing?"

"That's what I said," Blaise nodded. "Maybe you should give him a little room. You don't know what that twat said to him and Draco gets really…upset about that sort of thing. Just let him be for a little while, okay?"

"Fine," Harry nodded and walked away.

"Wait," they went after him, "Where are you going?"

"To talk to Sasha."

"Oh no."

The Wonder Boy left without another word.

* * *

**This chapter is:**

**longer**

**and **

**significantly more eventful**

**YAY!**

**Harry: I hate that guy**

**Blaise: We all do, honey**

**Theodore: I mean, really, he's a total brat.**

**Hermione: Boys, we have homework and I-**

**Ron: Have you and Theo had sex yet?**

**Hermione: WHAT?! No!**

**Ron: Yeesh Hermione, way to be prudish.**

**Hermione::blushing:: If we had I'm certain FireStorm would have mentioned it.**

**FireStorm: Indeed I would have**

**Blaise: How do you feel about that Theo?**

**Theo: Well...Hermione can take all the time she needs, I care about her on more than a physical level. I don't need sex to have a relationship.**

**Hermione: Awww::hugs Theo::**

**Blaise: Pssh ::to readers:: He uses that line on every girl**

**::Theo punches Blaise in the arm::**

**::Everbody laughs::**

**Love from,  
FireStorm and the Gang**


	12. Visiting Italy

**:: "The Italian Institute for Magic" (translated from Italian)::**

The building appeared to be a museum. It was covered in police tape and 'condemned' signs. The pillars out front were chipped and colored by graffiti. The steps had huge chunks taken out, as if partially under construction. Windows were shattered and the entire place seemed dilapidated and rotten.

Harry marched up the steps, shot off the chain holding the old dark doors closed and stepped inside. It was beautiful. Artwork covered the marble walls and the mosaic floor and golden statue in the centre of the welcoming hall all contributed to the beauty. Harry ignored it. He walked in and looked around quickly for any sign of students.

"Are you a student here?" One painting asked.

"Yes, yes, who are you?" Another questioned.

They all began speaking to him, asking questions and talking to each other. The noise echoed through the room and seemed to grow with every second.

"My name is Harry Potter and I'm looking for Sasha Corona, a student here, a Seventh Year." He quieted them.

They looked at each other, the paintings did, and nodded, "For you Mr. Potter, we will do anything." They whispered among each other in Italian or Latin, Harry was unsure.

"The boy you are looking for is this way," one said and walked through his painting into the next, then the one after that. Harry followed. The figure, an old man with red eyebrows, stopped outside a classroom. "He's in there. Be careful, it's a hexes class."

Harry thanked the man and pushed the door open.

He stepped in and saw Sasha immediately. There was no teacher present so Harry stepped in further.

The young man stood.

"What are you doing here?"

"Where's Draco?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Sasha answered, "I haven't seen him in months."

"That's a lie, Blaise said you were in London yesterday and got in a fight with Draco. Now he's missing, what have you done?"

"What are you talking about?" Sasha stepped back, "I've been here all weekend, ask anyone."

"I don't believe you."

"Look," Sasha walked forward, "I know you don't like me, I get it, okay. I'm not a bad person, I swear and I'm telling the complete truth when I say that I haven't seen Draco since last year when we met accidentally in Finland."

"Then where were you yesterday?"

"Here," he said, "We had a polagerus match. That's what I was doing all day."

Harry glared at him, rage bubbling but he could not justify attacking the other boy, yet. "I don't believe you."

Sasha sighed, "I don't know how to convince you."

"Where is Draco?"

His gorgeous brown eyes filled with distress and confusion, "I have no idea, really, I don't. If I knew I would tell you."

"Then help me find him."

Sasha looked over his shoulder at a young man who looked suspiciously similar to Blaise. "You really want me to help you?"

"Yes."

He turned back to Harry, "I don't think that's a particularly good idea. Draco hates me."

"You're the reason he is upset so you're going to come with me."

Sasha shook his head, "I really shouldn't skip class…"

"I don't see a teacher," Harry snarled.

"She's just late I-"

"No, Sasha," the Blaise look-alike spoke, "Go find Draco. We'll cover for you."

Sasha stepped out of the room with Harry, "I don't know why you want me to come with you, I'll only upset him-"

"I don't want you to come with me, I want you to tell me what happened. I need to know what went wrong with you two and I need to know you've let him go." Harry said, "I want things set right between you so you can both stop holding grudges and move on but that's not my place. I know you don't care but it is important to me that you two get over this petty little squabble. Tell me what happened."

Sasha shook his head, "It's not that easy," he said, "There was more to it than what I'm sure you've heard."

Harry crossed his arms.

The Italian boy motioned and they walked down a hallway into a sitting room.

"Please, sit," he said and Harry did, anxious to find Draco but curious about what he had to say.

"I met Draco the summer he turned thirteen. It was the Havershaft Gala and, in case you didn't know, the Havershaft is the most incredible of all events. It is exclusive, posh and unforgettable…

"He stood at the top of the stairs and looked down at all us humans like we were pitiful. His smile appeared like a gift from the gods and everyone turned and raised their glasses to him. We had to toast him, I mean, his mother planned the thing and his father was…is Lucius Malfoy. Draco's uncle, Octavio and his wife and their son, Julian, were all there and so were the cousins and everyone, really.

"The guest list was strictly limited to purebloods and people of great merit. I was there as an escort for a female friend. Draco was there as a major guest, obviously.

"He began to descend and paused so the great men of magic could greet him. They stood up and down either side of the grand staircase, talking to women and each other and making sure they were first to say hello to important people such as Draco or his parents.

"His friend, Blaise, was standing near me in the crowds, downing martinis and flirting non stop with some woman.

' "Looks like my friend is here," Blaise said and walked towards Draco.

"I was smitten from the first instant I saw him at the top of the stairs. He was gorgeous…still is really. Anyways, I followed Blaise and introduced myself.

' "Excuse me?"

' "Yes?" He turned and stopped. We just stared at each other.

"I fell in love then.

"I spent the next two years in love with a boy who almost ruined my life. It was okay at first but then the media, the blitz, the awful pressure of it all started to sink in. I couldn't come to classes without people threatening my life or someone snapping a photo and selling it. I was followed, stalked, attacked and used. I'm not saying it justifies what I did or how I treated Draco in the months after that. I know I'm an awful human but I've tried not to interrupt his life or hurt him or do anything to upset him. I hurt him and I miss him but…he's happier now and I knew he would be."

"You broke up for your own protection?"

He nodded. "I took him to dinner in Venice, I asked him if I was important to him, what length he was willing to go to for me. He said he would do anything, that I was more to him than even I knew. I loved him but I couldn't keep going. I told him. I told him about the pressure and the fear and the pestering. He laughed. He said it was part of being pureblood, that I would get used to it. I tried to make him understand that it was ruining my life. He didn't seem to care. I insisted and he just told me it was foolish, that it was nothing. If I couldn't handle a little media attention, how could I conceive of being with a pureblood, that I hadn't seen the peak of it. I told him I couldn't do it anymore. I broke up with him."

"How did the Imperius story get started?"

"What?"

"That Draco had you under a curse and you finally broke free. That's what the tabloids said," Harry reminded him, "You lied."

"No," Sasha shook his head, "I don't know where you heard or read that but I never, ever, said anything like that. I broke up with Draco and haven't given an interview since. I don't want that life."

Harry sighed, "So you just broke up with him."

"That's all."

"Why is he so upset with you then?"

"Because he hurt more than I did."

Harry and Sasha just looked at each other for a moment. It was tense. Harry's arms were crossed. Sasha bit his bottom lip. Harry observed him.

Sasha was beautiful. He was as gorgeous as Blaise. They both had not only perfect features but an indistinguishable quality that attracted people to them. Sasha's round brown eyes turned away and he scanned the walls. He seemed ashamed and truly upset. Harry could not tell the validity of his emotions. Draco was always a wonderful actor, perhaps Sasha was too.

"Do you think he's still in love with you?"

Sasha met his eyes, "For your sake, I pray that he is not."

"Are you still in love with him?"

This made the Italian pause a little longer, "No matter who they are, you always have feelings for your first love. I will always care about Draco but I could never be in a relationship with him."

Harry frowned, "Do you know where he went right after you two broke up?"

"To England, to talk to his mother."

"Thanks," Harry turned and left, pushing into the hallway where he saw the boy who looked like Blaise.

He stepped forward, towards Harry, "I'm Mercutio, a friend of Sasha's, I just came to see that he is all right."

"He's fine," Harry said, looking the boy over, "Thank you for your help."

He nodded, "Anything we can do."

Harry stepped around him. Then turned back as the boy spoke.

"Do you know Blaise Zabini?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded, "I do."

"Can you give him this for me?"

Mercutio produced a folded piece of parchment, It was worn, wrinkled and a little water stained. Harry took the paper, "Yeah, I'll give it to him."

"Thank-you."

Harry walked away and felt worse than he did before.

**::Wiltshire Manor, Cemetery:: **

The statue of Narcissa was almost glowing. The sun was beginning to set. Draco sat at her feet, watching the ground and glaring.

"Drake?"

He looked up at Harry.

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see if you were okay."

Draco stood, blinking in the light rain that was beginning to fall.

"How did you find me?"

"I had some help…from Sasha."

"What?" Draco recoiled, his face forming the harsh glare Harry had seen directed at others many times before.

"I went to talk to him…well…I had meant to hit him but I asked him and he said he was in Italy yesterday…Drake, I don't think it was him you saw in London."

"How can you say that?"

"He was there, everyone vouched for him. He had no idea what I was talking about and when I talked to him he seemed too sincere to doubt. I mean it Draco, he says he hasn't seen you since Finland and I believe him. I know you're angry, Draco but-"

"Shut up," Draco snarled, "You went to Italy just to talk to him? How dare you! I don't go visiting Cho or Ginny randomly and you should never have gone to see him. If you knew I was upset with him you should have talked to me, not him."

The rain grew harder and more insistent, pounding away on the ground and Harry's back.

"How am I supposed to talk to you?" Harry asked sharply, "You lock yourself in your room and run off to London or here and I can never find you. I try, Draco, I try so hard to be there but you push me away. You snarl and pout and lock me out, what else was I supposed to do? I had no choice. Blaise and Theo didn't know where you were. I didn't go to become his friend; I went because I was worried about you. I thought he had kidnapped you or something."

"If you care about me at all you would have waited for me, trusted me," Draco screamed. He clenched his fists, "I hate it when people think they can go behind my back and do things that affect me and then expect me to be fine with it. My mother had a bloody child, sacrificed herself, _died_ and Severus left for a month, you went to see that cad and everyone just thinks I'll be fine with it. I'm not fucking fine with it. I hate it all. I hate being a bloody orphan and I hate not having anyone and I hate him."

Harry could not help but roll his eyes, "You're being immature, Drake. I've been an orphan my whole life. I've never had anyone and I don't like Sasha either. You think we're all that different? We're not. Draco, seriously, you're being dramatic."

The wind picked up.

"Shut-up," he yelled, "Don't fucking talk to me like that. We are different. I'm so screwed up and people, you, refuse to see it. You think we're the same? You're parents died sixteen years ago. It's not been a year since my mother died. My father may as well be dead, he lives in Poland and never talks to me. You'll always be a hero. I will always be a druggie whore with a lot of money. That's all I'll ever be in the eyes of the world. You don't get it, Harry, you just don't understand. It seems like you don't want to understand either, like you're happy with not knowing that much about me."

"If you let me know," he yelled back, angry and cold, "Then I would. You're so protective and secretive and cruel, Draco. I care about you so much and you just keep secrets and hide from me."

Draco glared at him. "Then maybe you should just leave me."

"What?" Harry drained of rage.

"You heard me, Potter, get lost. If you think that way then I don't want this anymore."

He flinched at the use of his last name.

"That's not what I want, Draco."

The storm was full force now, soaking both boys through.

"It's what I want. I can't trust you, Potter, so just leave. Get out of here."

Harry stayed still.

"Get out," Draco screamed at him and he felt the ground quake beneath him.

Harry turned. He looked over his shoulder in shock and regret and began to walk away.

Draco stood at the foot of the statue, glaring at the dark, retreating form. White hair lay flat against his forehead and neck and the shirt he wore was stuck to him, cold and uncomfortable. He breathed raggedly, glaring and almost crying.

"I hate you," he whispered. He was unsure if he meant it though.


	13. Holy Suspense Batman!

**::Hogwarts School::**

Blaise looked up from his bowl of watermelon and cantaloupe, "Something's gone wrong."

The storm outside was as intense as any that year and students sat in the Great Hall looking chilled and nervous.

"What?" Pansy and Theo looked at him.

Blaise stood, turning his head to the great doors and watching, carefully, for anything and waiting, patiently, until he sensed it again. There was a spike in magic. It was Harry's, he could tell, a wild and wounded magic full of insecurity and bravery clashing with strength and a floundering sense of confusion.

Blaise sniffed the air. He may have been Italian but he could smell well enough. He did not notice people looking at him, staring in confusion and worry. They knew that if a Slytherin did something strange there was a need to worry.

"Blaise?" Theo looked up at him.

"Shh," Blaise hushed him and in turn the entire hall went quiet.

"What's going on?" Pansy stood and watched the doors.

The castle shuddered.

Wind blasted the sides and rain fell as though the second flood was coming. Blaise waited.

It happened again.

The castle echoed with a great thunder clap. Blaise knew it was not the storm.

The doors shook. Armor rattled and children shivered in reaction to the noises in the silence.

"What is that?"

There was a wind flurry that rattled the windows.

They watched Blaise.

Only he was aware that Harry had thundered into the school and in his rage, destroyed the entrance. He left them smoldering partial ruins of the doors they once were.

Blaise sighed, "You should go," he said and directed his eyes to Ron and Hermione. They stood.

People began to worry and suspect something to do with Harry. Those with a half brain checked to see if either he or Draco were present. Neither were.

Sirius, who had significantly more than half a brain, stood and left with Ron and Hermione.

They saw the doors…or felt the chill of the wind and rain before they saw them.

"Holy shite," Ron stepped back. He backed away, looking into shadows for werewolves or demons.

"It was Harry," Blaise appeared behind them, "Something has gone terribly wrong between him and Draco."

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks.

"Tell me you're lying," Ron spoke, "Please."

Blaise shook his head, "He's in the Chamber of Secrets…or nearby if my sensing is even close to accurate and you better hurry if you want to catch him. "

Ron and Hermione took off. Ron, who thought himself a good athlete, was shocked at how fast Hermione could run in a short skirt and Mary Janes.

She threw open the door in time to see the sink passage grinding closed.

"Harry!"

She drew her wand and blew the sink right off. Ron pushed past her and, without thinking, launched himself down the slide.

He heard Hermione coming behind him.

The slide deposited him on the same patch of muddy, rocky earth he had fallen on five years prior. Hermione, in her infinite grace, was able not to land on her bum. She offered a hand and helped him up.

"Harry?" They called for him.

Ron climbed the pile of rocks and wandered past the smoldering remains of many.

An awful stench grabbed him before he was able to cover his nose. The corpse of the Basilisk lay across the floor, half in water, and rotting.

"Harry?"

Hermione tugged on Ron's arm and pointed to the statue of Slytherin. Harry was standing at the base, glaring.

"What the fuck?" He turned over his shoulder, "He broke up with me."

They went quickly to his sides, "What happened?"

"I went to talk to him, I found him…Sasha I mean and we talked. I figured out why they broke up, what happened. He told me where Draco might be. I went. Draco was there and I kept trying to talk to him and he was so angry and so…sudden. I told him Sasha was in Italy all of yesterday, that it had to have been someone else. Draco just turned it back on, asked what I was thinking, how I could betray him like that. He got so upset.

"I got mad back, I told him he was pushing me away and I didn't know what to do. We argued, said things that…I said things I don't mean. I called him cruel. He said I didn't try. He said he couldn't trust me. He broke up with me and I left."

Hermione pulled him into a hug, "It'll be okay."

Ron patted his shoulder. "Yeah mate, he'll come 'round."

"I'm not so sure."

Harry remembered what Draco said. _I'm not fucking fine with it…_ _I will always be a druggie whore with a lot of money… you're happy with not knowing that much about me._

He remembered what he said. _You push me away… you're being immature… you're being dramatic… you're so protective and secretive and cruel_

"Harry, Blaise and Theo and Pansy will do their best to convince him to forgive you. You have to try too, Harry," Hermione held his hand, "It'll be okay."

Harry sighed and squeezed her hand, "I feel completely awful."

Ron and Hermione stood with him and offered silent support.

**::Poland::**

Chael laughed loudly.

He was spread across the rug in front of the fire. His hands grasped at the old cloak laid out for him. Severus glanced towards him occasionally. Zaverias was there too, playing with blocks. Julian and Azriel shared a couch facing the wing backed chair Lucius sat in and the plush chair Severus occupied. The low iron table in front of them was spotted in newspapers and scotch glasses. A bottle of scotch and another of rum lay empty on the floor.

"Why is the boy so upset with you?" Lucius asked.

Severus shook his head. "I have no idea what I did."

"You must have done something." Julian insisted. "Draco's a passionate person but he's reasonable and he'd understand your leaving unless it was part of something much larger."

"I did not do anything," Severus insisted, "I made plans to come here for a month. I told him. I left."

"Maybe that's your problem," Azriel said, "The order of the things you 'didn't do.' People have been doing a lot of things without talking to him first. I mean, I don't mean to point the finger but you and Narcissa never actually asked him if he was okay with your triste, did you? You never talked to him about having a child. You," he turned to Lucius, "Didn't either and never asked about moving thousands of miles away. We never talked to him about doing that either. People think they can do things without talking to him."

Severus sighed.

Chael turned to look at them.

"I suppose that is reasonable." Lucius admitted.

"Maybe we should start-" Azriel stopped mid-sentence and recovered a half second later. "I mean…talk to him, we should start talking to him."

"Who knows what he is capable of," Julian added, "We should be there for him, so we can guide him should it turn out he has the Keeper's gift."

"By the by," Severus said after agreeing, "How is the Keeper's gift passed on? How is it decided?"

Azriel nodded and lifted his glass to inspect the dark liquid inside, "Who ever needs it most."

**::Italy::**

Sasha sighed and dug his hands into his pockets.

Mercutio stood outside the classroom.

"How'd it go?"

"Better than I expected," Sasha answered, "I'm not bleeding."

The slightly younger boy laughed.

Mercutio was a year younger than Sasha, barely admitted in Sasha's year he was so young. The boy pushed some of his dark hair from his eyes, "Let's get back to class."

"Is la professora there yet?" Sasha asked.

"Not by the time I left," he said, "She's probably just…missing today, like she often is."

"Did you give him the letter?"

Mercutio took a shaky breath.

"Yeah."

Sasha smiled.

They reentered the classroom to see their teacher looking rather smug.

"Welcome to class boys, and I thought I was late." She smiled at them.

"Sorry Professor Cuida, we had a visitor," Sasha said.

"I see," and her smile shone with evil.

**::Wiltshire Manor Cemetery::**

Blaise, soaking to the bone, tromped across the manor grounds towards the garden of statues.

"You unbelievable idiot," he yelled over the storm. "You broke up with Harry?"

Draco turned to look at him.

"Shut up."

"No," Blaise snapped, "You are a complete and utter fool Draco Malfoy."

"You don't understand, Blaise, you don't get it."

"Because it makes no sense!" He responded, "He loves you and you break up with him for trying to understand what happened in your only other significant relationship. He wanted to kill Sasha when he left. He ended up learning and he just wanted to be a better boyfriend. He loves you, you giant, stupid twat and you pushed him away. You always do that and I don't bloody get it."

"Go to hell."

"I'm not going to back down from this," Blaise stepped forward into a particularly nasty gust of wind. "You have to realize what a fool you are."

"I have my reasons, Blaise," he turned towards his old friend, "Now go away, I need to be alone."

"No."

Draco's frustration mounted, "Go back to school, Blaise."

"No!"

The earth shook violently and Blaise stumbled. Draco's glare was biting and the storm grew stronger still. Wind lashed his face with rain and perhaps even shards of ice. Lightening cut a jagged, brilliant path across the sky and Blaise knew, again, that something was wrong.

"I told you to leave, Blaise," he said and his voice carried with little effort, "Now go."

"What are you doing?" Blaise asked.

Draco did not answer but Blaise felt the magic in the air. It was the same unquantifiable magic he felt when Narcissa died; raw, ancient and deadly. It was core magic and Blaise stumbled backwards, realizing that Draco had tapped into it.

The whole world seemed to rumble beneath and around him, pushing and jostling him. It was not violent or painful but wholly terrifying and strange. He watched Draco.

The white haired young man, glittering with rain and ice, stood at the foot of his mother's statue and everything seemed wrong. The emotionally detached, almost evil look in Draco's eye and the glow of the statue in the storm all had the same strange feeling.

"Who are you?" Blaise asked. This question was quiet, a terrified whisper brought on by awe.

'The Keeper of Magic." He smirked and seemed to rise into the air as Blaise was dragged out of sight, off the grounds.

* * *

**So it's a little short but totally full of plot and OOOH drama**

**Is the Hexes teacher in Italy really...well, you read it**

**Is Draco really the Keeper?**

**And who in bloody hell is Mercutio?**

**QUESTIONS!**

**Stay tuned for answers**

**Love!  
FireStorm and the Gang**


	14. Dead vs Not Dead

**::Realm of the Dead::**

It was a sunny day in death.

The dead sat around sipping wine and laughing as the sun shone a strange cold light over them. Spring had settled over the land and things bloomed with life...in a strange oxymoron to their location. There was a shallow, brilliantly blue river running through the fields and along the sides great mansions rose. In front of one, close to the river bank, sat a table surrounded by chairs. Narcissa with a large glass of wine and a half smile on her face.

Merlin and his son Magdus sat at the table with her.

They laughed.

"My lady," Merlin said and set down his glass of wine, "You've always been a strong witch, the only question was whether you would be a Merlinian or Magdian Keeper."

The two men nodded and smiled.

She smiled back, "I'd have to admit to being more violent than not, so I lean Magdian but I preached a far more Merlinian ideal. It was never about the war, always about the peace that follows and optimizing it."

They continued to talk, discussing the finer points of Keeping magic and even their worries for the future.

"Tell me something," She changed the subject, "Do you suppose the Dark Lord ended up here too?"

They shrugged. Merlin, with his black speckled beard and bright green eyes, observed the sky and spoke first, "I suppose death is something everyone has a right to, a death like this one is…wrong for a man like the Dark Lord. He would never come here."

"Where would he go?"

He sat up, "There are several realms to death. This is the place for Keepers and our direct kin, he would…well, Tom would go to a world far darker than this, more of a muggle idea of death. The last of the five realms; this is first, second and third are quite similar and are for more people, fourth is a dark world of pain and danger while the fifth is the torturous, hell fire place with devils and Death nymphs all around."

"He deserves far worse," Narcissa snarled and sipped her wine.

"Don't be so harsh, Narcissa," Magdus said. He was a wiry young man with thick glasses and brilliant green eyes like his father. "Tom is an awful man, true, but he's receiving the punishment the Queen has laid on him."

"Roua you mean?"

"Nay," he said, "She was a false queen, she pretended to rule death when all she had was the twisted descendents of death. The true Dead Queen is called just that, her name is long lost to myth and she never comes here. She is never seen."

"Interesting," Narcissa nodded.

The sky above them rippled and turned black. The clouds swirled into a vortex and lightning rippled across in a pattern like an ancient rune.

Merlin and Magdus had seen this happen many times but Narcissa stood to watch. The clouds showed, in grainy black and white images, her son in the cemetery in Wiltshire, becoming the Keeper of Magic.

"Holy Merlin," she whispered.

"Yes?"

**::Hogwarts School::**

Blaise rung the water from his hair.

Theodore watched him and followed the stream of water from his dark curls to the floor.

"How'd it go?"

Blaise glared, "I hate Draco sometimes."

"That well?" Theo stood and followed him into the bathroom where he took a seat on the counter while Blaise stripped down to warm himself in a hot shower.

"He got all defensive and bitchy and said I didn't understand. I admit I don't know exactly what's going on but really, he could have talked to me instead of turning into a git and throwing me off the manor grounds."

"He had you thrown?"

"Yeah," Blaise nodded and showed him the mud stains on the cuffs of his pants.

"What did he say?"

"Not much, mostly 'go tohell' and 'you don't get it' I did more talking than him and still…not much was communicated." He turned on the shower and got it, "I hate it when he gets like this…with Sasha he was upset and moppy and totally piss but now…not he's all," Blaise paused, "There's a fury and hurt in his eyes I've never seen."

Theodore nodded, "I think Harry is taking this really hard too, he and Ron and 'Mio are still in the Chamber."

"Why did he go down there, anyways?"

"Probably because he felt like it was somewhere he could be alone, since no one else can get in, but also because it is, in a way, directly linked to Draco and what he needs most right now is Drake."

"Did you think about that while I was gone?"

"Indeed," Theo nodded.

Blaise almost smiled but the fear of what he now knew weighed on him.

"Blaise?" Theo called to make sure he was fine.

"Yeah?"

"Something wrong?"

"Yeah," the Italian nodded and stared the wall of the shower. "Draco said he was the Keeper of Magic."

"The what?" Theo opened the door.

"I know," Blaise turned off the water, "Bloody fuck, Theo, the Keeper and now…now I'm scared for all of us."

"He'll be back soon, right?"

"I don't know," the Italian shrugged and began to dry off. "We should get Pansy to talk to him, she can fix these things."

"I haven't seen her since dinner, she slipped off…"

"She does that a lot recently," he summoned his favorite pajamas and a sweater. "Do you know where she goes?"

He shook his head.

They did not know but Pansy sat on the roof of the tallest tower and watched the storm. She was soaked through and thrilled by the nearby lightning.

She listened as the castle sat beneath her, tense and pondering the situation with Harry. She smiled. She only felt alive when she was in danger. She hardly felt anything when it was a normal day, when things were human and slow. She sighed.

"I hate this, I hate it so much."

Harry sat on the floor.

"It'll be okay," Hermione said from her seat next to him, "Draco will come 'round and forgive you, you'll work it out. He's reasonable, I'm sure."

"He was," Harry agreed. "He can be so smart and finite and reasonable but today he went insane at me." Harry sighed and laid down on his back to stare at the ceiling and he felt something in his back pocket. Reaching in he discovered the damp letter from Mercutio.

"Oh Merlin," he opened it to make sure the writing was not ruined and found it to be in water proof ink.

"What is that?"

"Some friend of Sasha's asked me to give this to Blaise," he said and scanned through, mostly on accident. "Holy shite," he swore and Hermione and Ron gathered around him.

"_Blaise Zabini,_

_You don't know me. My name is Mercutio Rimii and I live in Italy, just south of Florence. I don't know where you are, only that you live with your mother somewhere in England so I've never been able to send this letter by owl. I hope it reaches you someday. _

_I hate to be so blunt as to write this in a letter but I believe we're half-brothers. Your father, Ridex Zabini had an affair with my mother, Angela Rimii just before he married your mother, Desdemona. We're the same age, you and I, and from what I know I look rather like Ridex and so do you. I'm sure that, if you have met Ridex, you don't like him, I don't either, so the only think I can say is that I hope you do not hold it against me. It must be a terrible shock to you, for me to just write this letter and all, but I do not know what else to do. I hope that someday we can meet and, perhaps, be friends. _

_Owl back at: The Italian Institute for Magic (September to June)_

_Or The Rimii Castle (June to August)_

_Sincerely,_

_Mercutio Ridex Rimii"_

"That's impossible," Ron murmured, "Ridex is a complete whore!"

"This is ridiculous," Hermione said, "Blaise has a brother who happens to be friends with Sasha, Draco's only other significant boyfriend? How did they not meet before this? It's insane."

Harry stood, "We have to find Blaise and tell him."

"What about Draco?"

"He'll come talk to me about it in his own time," Harry said, putting on a brave face.

They rushed to the entrance and levitated out.

Sirius stood at the door shooing away girls.

"There you kids are," he turned to them, "What's going on? How are you, Harry?"

"I've been better," he admitted, "But we have other things to worry about."

"What?"

He showed Sirius the letter.

Sirius nodded, "I remember that he was always gone on weekends, said he was overseeing a renovation of one of their houses in Italy."

"So it's true?" Ron asked.

"He is a total mirror image of Blaise," Harry said, "It was unsettling."

"Ridex was never good at fidelity and had a lot of issues regarding relationships, mostly because he dad had his mum killed and remarried some younger witch but got her killed too in exchange for something and it happened a few times over."

"Like what Desdemona is doing now?"

"Sort of," he admitted, "but Lord Zabini, Ridex's father, didn't need to, had no reason other than boredom and need for a new woman. He was always sort of a prick."

"Let's go show Blaise," they left the bathroom and made fast progress to the dungeons.

"Devil's Tongue," Harry said the password and the wall opened. The four went through and searched out Blaise and Theo where the stood in the 6th year boy's dorms talking quietly in Latin.

"What's going on?" they looked up.

"One of Sasha's friends gave me this," Harry said, "I forgot about it until now."

"Thanks,' he took it and opened it up.

They watched him patiently as he read the letter several times over.

"One of Sasha's friends gave you this?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded, "He looked just like you."

"Oh," Blaise folded the letter, "Thanks."

"Do you want to contact your mum or anything?"

"Not at all," Blaise said, "This would only upset her."

"What are you going to do then?" Theo asked.

"Visit." He said.

"What?"

"I'm going to Italy, to talk this out with my…brother and I suppose my father too."

"Want me to come?" Ron asked.

Blaise smiled, "You need to be here for Harry and, if Draco comes back, smack him for me."

They nodded and watched Blaise leave the Slytherin areas in search of Draco's rooms.

"So," Ron sat down, "What should we do now?"

There was a silence among them.

**::Italy::**

The sun had set and she sat in her chambers reading and listening as the piano played a song from her childhood. A devilish smile crossed her Spanish features.

"Professor?" the door nudged open.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering," he stepped inside, "Where you were this morning."

She closed her book, "Taking care of a problem up north," she stood and walked over to him.

"What sort of problem?"

"A pesky little boy who thinks he can save the world," she answered.

Sasha almost frowned at her, "Well, you never asked to collect them but here's my essay on the hexes from last week." He handed her a roll of parchment.

"Thank you," she took the roll, "You've always been a very honest young man, Sasha."

He nodded, "Thank you Professor Cuida."

* * *

**Am I really reintroducing Narcissa as a character you ask?**

**Indeed, I am!**

**Also, will I get Harry and Draco back together?**

**Draco's the Keeper of Magic?**

**WHAT AM I PLANNING?!**

**I don't know**

**watch for updates my darlings!**

LOVE!  
FireStorm


	15. This Father Son Son thing is wierd

**::Elsewhere in Italy:: **

Ridex Zabini was in his painting room sitting on stool in front of a block of marble. He was smoking again and a glass of brandy decorated the table next to him. Everything was colored by paint, his clothes and hair and the floor and it now too held dust and scraps of marble.

He frowned.

"Dimitri!"

A young man walked in and crossed his arms. "What?"

"It's missing something," he said and motioned to the statue, "Tell me what."

He looked at it, "She's sad. Why?"

Ridex frowned, "She's not sad…"

"She looks sad," Dimitri said.

Ridex stood and pushed his hair from his eyes, "She wasn't meant to look sad."

"So fix it," the petite young man said and turned to leave, "I'm in the middle of a cheesecake so call me if you need me."

Ridex nodded, "What kind of cheesecake?"

"Vanilla and cinnamon, what did you think?"

"Just checking," he said and leaned against the door frame, "Can you make some of those little bit sized pizza things too?"

Dimitri rolled his eyes, "Sure thing, boss."

"Thanks," Ridex refocused on the sculpture.

Dimitri sighed and walked back to the kitchen.

He stepped in and saw a tall, Italian boy standing in the middle of the kitchen, looking around with interest.

He screamed.

"Who are you?"

Blaise took a step back, "I'm Blaise, Ridex's son."

Dimitri looked at him skeptically, "Blaise what?"

"Zabini, Blaise Ridex Zabini…Desdemona's son."

"Oh," he nodded, "You're that one."

Back down the hall Ridex turned sharply at the sound of the scream, he moved towards the kitchen and appeared behind Dimitri at that moment.

"What are you doing here?"

"I have a few things I need to clarify with you," Blaise said. "I just received a letter from some guy named Mercutio."

Ridex frowned, "Who?"

"He says he's your son."

"Dammit," Ridex groaned and ran his hands through his hair.

"You should be more careful about that stuff," Dimitri said.

"Shut up," Ridex snapped. "Can I see the letter?"

Blaise held it out to him.

He took it and read it through.

"Smart kid," he said and handed the letter back, "You probably don't want anything to do with me."

Dimitri snuck behind them to finish the cheesecake.

"I just want to know," Blaise said, "Do you or did you ever love my mother? Was being a family ever an option?"

Ridex shifted uncomfortably.

"Well?"

The older man sighed, "I don't know. I was so young and so passionate about my art and so screwed up with drugs and drinking that I didn't know what I felt or what I wanted. I think I loved her but it might have been the pre-arranged marriage talking. I was messed up, unreliable and troublesome and awful. I ruined myself before I got it all straight. I would have ruined her and you too. I thought….I think I love Dez but, it's been so long and so many thing have gotten in the way. I'm-I'm not the kid she married and I don't think she'd love me now…especially not after how I treated her this summer. I do want to apologize for that," he said and crossed his arms, a nervous habit, "I say stupid things I don't mean when I'm angry. I don't think you're a disgrace or anything like that…you seem like a good kid."

Blaise nodded. "Thanks. You're not half the arse you come off as."

Ridex nodded too. "Thanks. I wish things worked out different. I wish I hadn't left but…maybe it was for the better, I mean, I almost died and I worry that I would have put you and Dez in danger too. She's so smart and amazing that, well, I think she can handle herself without me, she did a good job raising you, I mean."

"I think she did," Blaise agreed.

"Don't you have school or something?" Dimitri asked.

"No," he shook his head, "Classes are done for the day."

The cook hummed. "Do you often visit estranged parents in your free time?"

"Shut up," Ridex snapped, "Sorry about the git, he's a bit testy at this time of day."

"I've got one just like him back home," Blaise smiled.

Ridex motioned to a nearby table, "Please, sit."

They did so.

"You don't hate me, do you?" Ridex asked.

"I just don't know you," Blaise said, "I don't particularly know what to do in this situation. The Gray Rivers Etiquette Academy never taught me how to handle this."

"You went there too?"

He nodded, "All six years."

"I did too," he smiled, "Then I donated the painting over the main doors."

"That's your art?"

"I made it my first year gone from England, right after graduating Hogwarts."

"You were really talented," Blaise said. "Do you still paint?"

"Pretty often," he said and motioned to his clothes, "But I'm doing a statue right now. It's really difficult, having to think of a subject from every angle but it's turning out quite well."

Blaise nodded. "I was thinking that maybe, once this new husband keels over, you could come home and talk this all out with my mum."

"Sure, once the old guy dies," Ridex agreed to it, "But, Dez and I have a lot of things to work out…our whole lives really."

"I get it," he said, "There's a lot to straighten out."

Ridex nodded and took a long drag on his cigarette.

"Should we maybe get Mercutio here so you can talk to him?"

The older man gave a small nod, "I suppose."

Dimitri looked between them and when neither moved he let out a great sigh, "I'll send for him, don't worry, it's not as though I was cooking or anything." He left the room.

"Who is he exactly?"

"That's Dimitri, my cook and house keeper…type thing…he's an old friend."

It was not but a half second later that he walked back in, "That kid is on his way."

Ridex nodded. He drew his wand and changed his clothes to ones more acceptable for public.

Blaise smiled, "Try to come off better than you did with me."

He almost laughed, "Thanks for the advice."

There was a knocking somewhere in the house. It sounded as if it came from inside the walls and Dimitri walked out.

Then Mercutio walked in.

"I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and say he's your kid," Dimitri said from behind him.

"Thanks for that," Ridex said and stood. "I'm Ridex Zabini."

"Mercutio Rimii." They shook hands.

"I'm Blaise," he too stood and held out his hand to Mercutio.

"Hello."

They all sat down around the small table.

It was rather awkward.

**::Hogwarts School:: **

Harry sat on the floor with his head in his hands.

"Do you think Blaise is okay?"

Ron was pacing like a maniac. "I don't know, I don't know this is so weird!"

Hermione and Theodore were sitting on one of the beds, side by side and holding hands.

"Calm down Ron, remember that Blaise is a good wizard, he's strong and he can handle himself."

"Yeah," he sat down by Harry, "I guess."

Harry ran his hands over his chin and over his cheek where he felt the tiny scars from the war. They were a reminder of his dream. Had it all been a lie? Was it just a dream? It had all come true though. The scars on his face, the slash on Draco's throat, all that had happened so why wasn't anything else coming true?

Hermione watched her friends with worry. "Are you two going to be all right?"

"Yeah," they answered together.

There was a knock at the door.

"Hey, Theo, Professor Black and Professor Lupin want to see you and…whoever else is in there." Crabbe called through the door.

"Send him in," Theo called back.

The door swung open and Sirius stepped in. "Heard anything yet?"

Remus walked in behind him, having only seen the Slytherin dorms from the far side of the common room door before now. He was more than a little impressed with the sheer quality of them. There was this room, sort of a faux room for the boys because all of them had found private rooms elsewhere in the dungeons. This had devolved into a common meeting place.

"Nothing," Harry responded. "Just waiting for either one to come back."

Sirius sat down, "Mind if we wait with you?"

"No, go ahead," they nodded.

Remus sighed, "We should tell Dumbledore about all of this, I think he needs to-"

"No," Ron and Harry and Theo responded immediately.

"We can't trust him," Ron said, "He's a bit nutters and…well, he hates Drake."

"Really now?"

"He's always had a policy of noninterference but distinct disapproval and near action in some cases."

"I see, very militant," Sirius said sarcastically, "He may not like you but he'll help if he can."

They chuckled, "Bull shite,"

"It's true Siri," Remus agreed, "Albus, though a great man, is highly unwilling to just let these kids be kids. He thinks he has to buckle down on the Slytherin purebloods so they won't become Dark Lords and…well, he makes a lot of assumptions about them. He doesn't want to help them, really, he only wants to control them."

"Hey!" the door burst open and Crabbe and Goyle thundered in, "Someone says they just saw Draco!"

Theo, Ron, Harry and Hermione leapt up and ran out.

"Where?"

"Headed towards the Astronomy tower," they yelled as the group flew out of the common room and raced up towards the tower.

Pansy, who still lay on the roof of the tower, could almost hear Draco's rage as he entered the room beneath her. She slipped down and leaned over the edge. He noticed her and sighed. "Do you have a minute to talk?"

"Sure," she smiled, "Come on up."

He walked over, reached up and pulled himself up and they stretched out to watch the sky. "What's on your mind?" she asked.

"I broke up with Harry."

She nodded, "I heard about that."

"I hate it but…I think he crossed a line and I can't trust him to not cross it again."

"And?"

"I'm scared to forgive him, Pansy. Father says 'if you forgive one person who has wronged you, you may as well forgive them all' and that means it's just a slippery slope between forgiving Harry and Lord Voldemort."

She looked at him like he was mental, "Big difference, Draco, they're not even on the same slope. Voldemort has tried to kill you, Harry has made one mistake."

"I'm still not comfortable with all of this," he said, "With the lying and the visiting of ex-boyfriends and it feels like betrayal."

"You think Harry would give you up willingly? You really think Harry doesn't love you? You two may not say it but it is apparent how much you care about each other so do not pretend that you can justify your temper tantrum breakup with this betrayal shite. Draco," she sat up, "A small piece of advice: remember that he loves you."

He sat up too.

"He was willing to die for you and he has been there for you, through your mother's death and everything, he loved you in the face of the Dark Lord and your father and the hatred of the whole world. If he's not allowed one mistake after all that then you have unobtainable expectations for your men."

"He went behind my back and-"

"You gave him no other choice. You have this habit of making things impossible for people and being upset when they cannot overcome that. You disappeared, you would not speak to him or anyone, Blaise and Theo did not even know where you went, really Draco, what did you expect?"

"I don't know…"

"Then let it go. With you being the new Keeper and all you're going to need him."

"How did you know about that?" Draco asked.

She just smiled at him.

Below they heard their friends entering the Astronomy room.

"Go on," she said, "Talk to him."

He nodded and slipped down into the room.

* * *

**It's a smidge late and I am sorry about that but it was finals week and graduation so can you forgive me?**

**I know that I'm not doing the funny dialogue thing at the ends right now...the chapters aren't happy ones so I don't know what they would say to each other...**

**those will start again soon, promise!**

**LOVE!  
FireStorm and the Gang**

**remember to review!**


	16. Talking it out

**NEW CHAPTER WARNINGS: Smut and Fluff woot woot! Continue...**

Harry stood there, looking around and breathing hard, he looked distraught and as though he had spent that past few hours in a great fight with himself.

Draco took a loud step forward from the shadows.

"Draco," Harry sounded relieved, he took a few steps forward before he stopped himself, unsure if he was welcome any closer.

Draco did not know what to say. His hands lay at his sides, fingers playing with his wand… "Hi."

"Are you okay?" Harry seemed to know what to say. He looked Draco over several times. The exhaustion drawn lightly under his eyes and in them and the way his hair fell imperfectly around his face. It was a look Draco only sported in the wee hours of the mornings after a good party and a snog.

He nodded.

"You don't hate me, do you?" He asked and Draco's eyes lifted from the floor to his ex-boyfriend. He began to chew on his bottom lip, not because his answer was unsure but his wording was.

The longer he took the more worried Harry became, even just a pair of seconds drove him uncomfortably close to a break.

"No," Draco responded, "I do not hate you…I just, I do not appreciate what you did. I hate how it ended between us, I never wanted that or meant those words. I know how much you care about me and how you could think going to Sasha was the only way to find me. I get it. I am not mad."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

Draco nodded. "I do not know where to go from here."

Harry was quiet. He did not know either. Draco was still wet from the storm and his clothes were mud spattered and clinging to him. The scar across his neck was pale but Harry could always see it and he remembered the day he got it and how terrifying those moments were. He was more scared then than any other time in the battle, more than when he faced the Dark Lord or watched him die or battled Death Eaters.

"Can you ever forgive me?" Harry asked. He was still looking at the scar and feeling the guilt from not being able to protect Draco, he had never intended for Draco to be hurt or put in danger.

Draco nodded. He followed Harry's eyes to his scar and almost smiled, still worried about the battle, about what happened. That was just like Harry.

"Are you okay?"

"No," Harry said, "I hate what I put you through and what kind of danger you're in, the pain I've caused you and all the awful things I've done…I'm not-"

"I'm okay," Draco stopped him, "I survived all of that and I'll continue to survive and this," his hand lifted to his throat, "Is not your fault."

"But I saw it in a dream-I made it come true-"

Draco shook his head, "No, whether or not you had that dream this would have happened and," he took a deep breath, "If this happened then shouldn't the rest of your dream come true too?"

Harry's eyes widened, "You…?"

"I forgive you and I'm so sorry for breaking up with you. I just, I don't know how to handle things sometimes and I get upset and do stupid things. I never wanted to hurt you, not ever. Please, Harry, forgive me?"

The lion broke into a grin and ran to the blonde, picking him up into a hug. He smashes his lips against Draco's and kissed him fiercely. Draco smiled. This was just like it was supposed to be.

Behind them Hermione, Theo, Remus and Sirius smiled gently.

"Glad that got figured out," Theo said and they nodded.

"Come on," Sirius offered his hand to Remus, "Let's get to sleep."

Remus took it and followed him down again.

Hermione and Theo laced their fingers together and turned to leave too.

Up on the roof Pansy gave a nod. "Good work."

**::Realm of the Dead::**

"I told you he would be fine," Merlin insisted.

Narcissa retained her doubts. "I want to talk to him."

The two men sat up straighter, gripping the arms of the chairs, "What?"

"Open the gateway; I'm going to talk to my son."

"Now?" Magdus questioned, "Really, Narcissa, give them time."

Her bright eyes flashed, "My son is the Keeper, he must be taught-"

"In time," Merlin insisted, "Just wait."

She watched him for a half minute before she nodded and returned to her seat. "So rarely do children have to cope with receiving the title part-way through life…Draco-"

"Has Harry, Severus, Azriel, Lucius and his friends and Dumbledore," Magdus reminded her. "He will survive, my dear."

She grumbled.

"So stubborn these women are," Merlin commented.

"That's why I don't go near them," his son laughed.

**::Poland!::**

Azriel and Julian had left a few hours ago, taking Zav with them.

Lucius, cane by his side, was still in that chair and watching the dark liquid swirl in his glass.

"Are you perfectly all right, Lucius?" Severus asked.

"Not in the slightest," he sighed, "I'm a widower, my son hates me and…nothing is quite right anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"You haven't noticed my son's erratic behavior? You have not felt it in the air? Something strange is going on in the ancient magic, Severus."

He frowned, "What do you think is going on?"

"Keeper business," he said, "But it's…something irregular, I know that."

Severus, who had a tendency not to believe drunk-Lucius, only nodded, "How do you know?"

"Watch," he pointed to his glass, which, by now, he had set down on the table. Neither of them moved and watched the liquid shiver. They leaned closer and saw flecks of bright blue dancing within. Severus frowned heartily, it appeared to be raw magic.

It was congealing. Raw magic was finding its way into their world.

"That's a problem."

Lucius agreed.

**::Hogwarts::**

Hermione smiled. She and Theo had wandered through the castle to Gryffindor tower. The Pink Lady was asleep so they stood quietly nearby. They were side-by-side with their backs to the wall and they were holding hands.

"What are you going to do?" Theo asked.

She shrugged, "I don't know, maybe stay in the Room of Requirement if she doesn't wake up."

He almost laughed, "You know you can stay with me, right?"

She nodded, "I know…I just didn't want to impose."

He did laugh then and pulled her over to him, holding her close and resting his hands on her slim hips. Hermione folded her arms around his neck, burying her face into the crook of his shoulder and inhaling the warm and familiar scent of him. She relaxed, feeling his chest against hers and his hands on her and the brush of his hair against her forehead.

"Let's go to bed," she whispered and he turned his head quickly to plant a kiss on her cheek.

"To bed," he took her by the hand and walked her towards the dungeons, a warm smile planted on his features.

They slipped into his rooms and Theo walked to his closet to find his favorite pair of flannel pajamas and a shirt to sleep in.

Hermione had taken over a portion of his walk-in closet to store her clothes and books so she was able to walk in and find the shirt she had taken from Theo and the old pair of boxers she had sewn up and now slept in whenever she was over.

They changed and stood at the foot of the bed, staring.

"Which side do you want?"

Theo knew that he usually slept to the left but saying that would probably necessitate asking how he knew that. He assumed that talking about his previous exploits with women would be awkward.

She shrugged. "That side," she pointed to the right.

"Good," He nodded, thankful.

They rolled in and though they had stayed together before it had always been more on accident than this. Theo smiled.

"Hey," she rolled onto her side and stared at him.

"Yeah?" He turned his head to the side to look at her.

She moved forward in a flash and kissed him, drawing herself closer until she was all against him, smiling as he moved to kiss her more easily.

Theo, a very intelligent young man, could not quite explain this. Hermione was not _not_ **not** not NOT forward like this and never had kissed him like this before. Not with the same teasing quality as now, nor in a bed, especially his while they were both in less than four layers.

The young Ms. Granger knew that. She did not care at all. She had decided she loved Theo. She also decided that in the privacy of his room, no one could say she was not supposed to do anything.

So she kept kissing him. She managed to straddle him and stretch herself across the expanse of him. His arms slipped to up to her hips and he held her softly, not wanting to scare her off and he felt her hands in his hair and running over his chest. He smiled.

**::Draco's Rooms::**

Draco had managed to get Harry out of the tower and into his room. They were half-naked and on the floor half-way to the bed. Draco was underneath Harry and squirming quite adorably as the Boy Wonder pillaged his neck.

He moved south, over his newly reinstated boyfriend's nipples and his stomach. Draco made a moaning noise and bit his bottom lip, trying very hard to keep in control. Harry loved that noise. It made him move faster, leaving a pretty mark on the pale boy's hip and quickly unhooking his trousers. He pushed them down and off and was greeted by the musky scent of his Draco.

He grinned. He took the long, quivering shaft into his mouth and began to suck hard. Draco bucked hard. Harry continued to make short work of Draco and the blonde did not complain. He was only able to moan and grunt as the Savior licked him clean.

"You whore," Draco breathed heavily, laying his head back against the floor. Harry could not help but chuckle as he moved back up to Draco's face.

"What are you going to do about it?" Harry grinned at the boy.

Draco promptly pushed him up and over, completely reversing their positions.

"You just got Draco'd."

"You're a verb?"

"I'm all parts of speech," he responded and kissed Harry.

Harry answered that by opening his mouth and offering Draco his tongue. Draco accepted it and they roamed over each other, Harry easily winning in the battle for dominance. He knew Draco had a sneaky plan in the works because he could feel the smaller boy grinding their hips together. This broke Harry's concentration.

He threw his head back and groaned. Draco smirked.

"I win," he whispered and pushed Harry's hands above his head and kept them there. He continued the teasing motion with his hips. Harry tried to move but he was stopped by the slim but powerful thighs of his lover.

Draco smiled, moving towards Harry's chest where he gave loving little bites to the nipples and then licked them. They stood out, hardened, as Draco played with them.

"Please," Harry whined and Draco rolled his silver eyes.

"Please what?"

Harry pouted and shifted beneath Draco, "Please?"

"If you insist," Draco said and got up. He walked away and left Harry stunned and on the floor. He sat up and watched Draco walk to the bed. "Coming?"

He scrambled up and tackled Draco, throwing him into the covers. "Thank Merlin," he groaned and turned the blonde onto his stomach. The blonde smiled.

Harry leaned in and pushed through, groaning loudly at the exquisite feeling. He moved in and out and Draco pushed back.

Harry closed his eyes and went faster, getting louder and louder and faster as he went. Draco grunted as Harry reached around began to rub his renewed erection too. The boys were moving and sweating and Harry could feel that he was about to cum. He pumped Draco harder and they both came at once.

They slumped over, exhausted.

Harry sighed.

"I love you," Draco said, leaning over to kiss Harry's cheek.

He smiled, "I love you too."

* * *

**Draco: WOOT WOOT::singing:: I got my man back, I got my man back!**

**Ron::tried to die:: that was gross!**

**Hermione: Don't be a prude Ron.**

**::Ron is flabbergasted and says nonsensical things::**

**Harry: It's okay mate, it'll all be okay.**

**Draco: Haha, Weasley can't handle a little man-sex**

**Ron: I can too! Why, me and Blaise used to-**

**Theo: NO! None of that! He's my friend, you're my friend I don't need to know what you do to each other or how or when or how often. Just...keep it to yourself.**

**Draco: Geez, Theo, I never knew you had a problem with us.**

**Theo: I don't! It's just, I mean, do you really want to hear about how Hermione and I-**

**Hermione, Draco, Ron and Harry: STOP THAT!**

**Theo: See?**

**Draco: I see your point.**

**FireStorm: Are we all happy-er now?**

**Everyone: Indeed!  
**


	17. Pssh, that lady is nuts

**::Italy::**

"So," Blaise sighed, "You're my father…but you had an affair just before you married my mother and that produced," he turned to Mercutio, "You. Then I was born and you," he turned back to Ridex, "Ran here without knowing that you," he turned to Mercutio, "Had just moved here with your mother Angela. Right?"

They both nodded.

"Everyone in England thought you," he turned to his father, "Were dead, allowing my mother Desdemona to marry around and make loads of money. Did you," he turned to Mercutio, "Know about me before now?"

"Of course," he nodded, "You were all over the tabloids and everyone talked about you while Sasha was dating Draco."

"And you," he turned to his father, "Knew about both of us?"

"No," He shook his head, "I knew about you," he said to Blaise, "But I had no idea Mercutio was alive, Angela and I were…not in contact after I married and moved down here."

"Got it," Blaise nodded and took a bite of cheese cake, "Is your mother still alive?" He asked Mercutio.

"Yes," he said, "She lives in Greece during the year, only ever comes here to spend the summers with me."

"How did you know Ridex was an arse?"

"I didn't really but I read the tabloids for fun and everything they said about him was nasty."

Ridex nodded.

Behind them Dimitri sneered, "You always believe the tabloids?"

Mercutio turned to him, "If they're consistent I have to believe there's some truth in what they say."

"Then you must believe your brother is a drug addicted whore who takes after his mother and is only using that Weasley boy to get close to Potter so he can get revenge for the Dark Lord." He said and Mercutio frowned.

"I've read that but-"

"You must also believe," He was cut off, "That every person under twenty four in pureblood society is a slut and a lush."

"Many of us are but-"

"And you must believe that Azriel Snow and Julian Malfoy have a son and are living down here to raise him."

"Actually," Blaise cut in, "That one is true. The boy is darling."

They both looked at him, stunned.

"Serious?"

"Yes," he nodded, "The kid's name is Zav."

"Well anyways," Dimitri brushed it off.

"Look," Mercutio stopped, "I made an assumption but it was probably fairly accurate."

Ridex almost smiled, "Blaise can attest to me being a complete arse most of the time. Dimitri, go make dinner and clean the hallways."

The small young man huffed and left the room.

"Listen," Ridex spoke again, "I know that neither of you like me, I don't really like me. I never planned to have one kid, much less two and here's the thing; I loved Desdemona but Angela was a fling. I'd known her for years and I never thought I'd do that to her but I did. Sorry about that.

"But really, I was seventeen. I'm an arse, that's true but I'm not an awful person. I'll be around if you need me, don't expect me to start showing up to dance recitals but I'll make an effort to be more involved. How's that?"

Blaise and Mercutio shrugged.

"We cannot expect much more than that," Blaise said. "It'll be tough transitioning into fatherhood but I won't push for much."

"Neither will I," Mercutio said with a slight bite to his voice.

"Good," Ridex smiled then. "Staying for dinner?"

Blaise ran a hand through his hair and looked at the clock, "I have to get back to England, big drama in the castle."

He stood and walked out, bidding his father and brother good-bye and Gloo-ing back. He stepped out of Draco's fireplace and saw them sleeping soundly in the bed.

"That's a nice surprise," he smiled.

He walked out and stepped into the hall just in time to see a figure at the far end turn the corner. He moved quickly and silently through the shadows towards that end. Blaise was an expert at silent-shadow-stalking. He and Draco had picked it up in their youth in order to spy on friends and family.

He rounded the corner and followed the sounds up a flight of stairs and down four corridors until he caught them just outside the Defense classroom. He stayed to the shadows and watched as they unlocked the door and went in. He slinked up and in without being noticed. The hood lowered and Blaise saw the beautiful Spanish face of Professor Cuida. His eyes widened dramatically but he stayed silent.

She pulled an Endless Bag from her cloak and reached in. A Bogart came spilling out. In the instant before it could become her fear Blaise saw its true form. A sickly, bony creature with peeling blackish brown skin and yellow teeth and ugly eyes tumbled out and gave a snarl before stretching out and forming the False Queen Roua.

"You have failed." The scaled woman spoke.

Cuida snarled and began to move on. She cast a spell Blaise had never heard before, several in fact and then she left, slipping out of the room silently. Blaise followed her but was stopped when she closed the door just before he could get out. He snarled but looked out the window. She was going towards the main doors, leaving the school most likely. He turned over his shoulder to see Ron leaning against the desk with his arms crossed.

"I want to break up."

Blaise shuddered but counted to three and left the room, locking the door behind him. He walked the annoyingly familiar path to the Head Master's office and stood before the gargoyle.

"Trumpet Chews," he said and the statue gave him a nasty look before moving aside. He had to rouse the old man from sleep before they could talk.

"Cuida was here in the school."

"She what?"

"She was here, in the Defense classroom, casting spells and releasing a Bogart."

"I-"

"Listen," Blaise spoke over him, "Go figure out what's in the Defense room before the first years have class in the morning and get killed, or worse."

Dumbledore stood, "Tell me what the spells you heard were."

"Boriviacorpus," he said, "Liutminaeus and then she made a rune symbol and said 'Predaga' which sounds like one of the old Welsh spells, not the regular Latin brand of magic we all use."

Dumbledore nodded, "Those are spells I have heard of but…I don't know exactly what they do."

"Close down the room," Blaise said, "No one gets in until we can find out what those spells are and how we can negate them."

He stood up, "I'll get Hermione and Theo on this as soon as possible and call Snape back from his vacation."

Blaise turned and walked out, stealing himself for waking up Draco and Harry, and the former was very snappish when his post-coital snuggle was interrupted. He passed the door to Theo's rooms and decided to stop in. He pushed the painting off to the side and stepped in.

He stopped dead upon seeing Hermione lying across Theo's chest. The blankets covered her from the hips south but he could see they were both naked and had obviously just shagged. His arm was wrapped around her waist, her arms around his shoulders and her head against his chest. They were both sleeping soundly and Blaise reconsidered waking them.

Blaise turned and left, walking all the way down the hall to his rooms. In there he found his bed all in a mess with Ron Weasley sleeping shirtless in the middle.

Blaise sighed.

The spars candlelight shone softly across Ron's face, making his skin a soft white color and his hair a darker red. The light ghosted over his long, dark eyelashes and full lips and down across his broad, strong chest and lean stomach to where a line of bright red trailed up towards his naval from below the line of his boxers.

Blaise giggled. He slipped out his clothes and into the bed. He stretched out and curled up next to Ron. The other boy awoke slowly, blinking to try and see who was in bed with him.

"What are you doing back?"

"Sleeping."

"How'd it go?"

"I'll tell you in the morning," Blaise yawned and snuggled up closer.

Ron had absolutely no trouble going back to sleep.

**::The Morning Time::**

The door thundered open.

"Blaise?!" Draco sauntered in looking for his best friend. Harry wandered in after him, dazed and happy looking.

Ron groaned and rolled over, partially on top of the Italian.

"What?" He called and Draco came over very quickly.

"Where the bloody hell were you last night?"

"Visiting my father and talking to the brother I never knew I had."

"Oh," Draco blinked and calmed down. "That's a good excuse." He sat down on the bed and stretched out next to Blaise. "How was it?"

"Awkward to say the least," Blaise responded and moved Ron off him. "My father is an arse but a sympathetic one _and_ I really don't think I like what's-his-face Mercutio. He buys into the tabloids and he doesn't seem very aware of the world or truth. I can understand why Ridex left, I still don't like him for it but I get it now. He's having a hard time adjusting though. He doesn't want to have to totally give up his life to try and be a father to two young wizards. I can understand that. He's got a smarmy little man-servant though and I thought that was funny."

"Good," Draco smiled as Harry pushed his way into the bed. The Boy Wonder groaned and slumped over Draco. "Our men are such burdens."

The two laughed as their boyfriends tried to sleep.

The door opened again so Hermione and Theo could walk in. "What's going on here?"

"A morning talk and sleep session."

Hermione and Theo smiled, walked over and piled in.

Ron made a loud noise, "I do not want your socks Admiral Potter now put them back in your ears and shuttup!"

"I think you smell of brownies and tripe so we shall have a cannonball fight to decide the victor of the MesoAustraliaRusso War!"

Draco, Blaise, Hermione and Theo laughed loudly.

Harry blinked awake, "Whaa?"

"You're just being dumb," Draco assured him, "Go back to sleep, the smart kids have things to discuss."

Harry mumbled and nuzzled Draco's neck.

"Talk to me," Blaise said, "About this Keeper business."

Draco sighed, "It's weird."

The four conscious kids raised their eyebrows, imploring him to continue.

"Okay," he agreed to go on, "Keepers die and a child is born as the new Keeper. It's a cycle and, well, it usually goes that you're born with the 'Gift' and don't just receive it part way through life. That makes my situation awkward, rare and totally difficult. I don't even know who my Guardian is so no luck there."

"It'll be a learning experience." Blaise promised, "Also, we should talk to Dumbledore soon because last night I saw Cuida break into the castle, cast some spells and release a bogart. Just so you know."

They whirled around to look at him, "What?"

"Didn't I tell you? Oh, right," he remembered, "I wanted to but you had all just had sex and I didn't want to disrupt anything."

Hermione and Theo went wide eyed and Draco burst out laughing. "I knew it would happen."

Hermione quickly changed the subject, "We have to go talk to Dumbledore now."

"But hold on there," Ron's head sprang up, "If the Quantum Theory states cows are like jigsaws, who's to say I cannot dance the Tango with a catfish?"

They looked at him for a moment and his eyes blinked open, he smiled goofily, "Morning. What are you lot doing in our bed?"

"You talk in your sleep," Theo said, "And you say the strangest things."

Ron smiled wider, "I'm awesome and that's all there is to that."

Harry lifted his head, "You are the loudest bunch of buttfaces I have ever met in my life."

"Why do you say that?" Draco asked and kissed Harry's nose.

"You're being loud while I'm trying to sleep."

"Deal with it," Draco said, "We need to go talk to the Big White Beard."

"Why?"

"Cuida broke in and cast some spells and released a Bogart." Blaise repeated, "If you were awake you would know that."

"Sorry," Harry rolled his eyes, "But what…what did she cast?"

"Some really old, obscure spells, one of which I think was Welsh."

"Welsh? No on uses Welsh magic anymore," Draco said.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"It's temperamental and hard to manage, like the Welsh." Theo answered.

Hermione smiled. She really did love that boy.

"But anyways," Blaise said, "It's a little bit important that we go look into the spells and get the boggart taken care of."

"What did it show you?" Ron asked.

Blaise nudged him, "It turned into you and you broke up with me."

Everyone cooed.

"That's so cute," Hermione leaned over and gave them both kisses on the cheek.

"Don't patronize me," Blaise said and kissed her on the cheek. "Let's get showered and clothed and leave."

They sighed.

The door swung open and Pansy walked in.

"Hey, Orgy Gang, in case Blaise-a-kins didn't tell you, we've got unidentified magic in the castle so stop getting freaky and come figure this out." She put her hands on her hips and grinned her sharp-toothed grin.

Hermione never really looked at the only other girl in the group but when she did she was always struck by how unreasonably pretty Pansy was. Pansy's black hair was held away from her face by a white head band and it helped define the perfect lines of her cheek bones and jaw, her brow bones and nose. She curled her perfect lips into a smile and watched them untangle and dismount the bed. She had an hour glass figure, a long neck and finger tipped by clean, sharp nails and her legs were long and slim but strong. She carried herself with an intense grace and confidence Hermione had never seen in a young woman. Hermione wondered silently why Pansy was single.

"Pansy, babe," Blaise walked to her, "Have you found anything out about the spells?"

She moved out his arm's reach, "Nothing on the spells but I can tell you that the Bogart was a bitch and a half and I was not in a mood to put up with it."

"So you've taken care of the Bogart?"

She smiled and twirled her wand, "It was more than taken care of."

Little did they know about the spattered Bogart remains littering the Defense hall way.

"Defense classes have been canceled until lunch so we can try and take care of this."

"Thank Merlin," Ron said, "I forgot to write the essay due today."

Hermione gave him a look but moved away so he could rummage for clothes.

They decided it would be best to get ready and take care of the new problems.

* * *

**Oh snap!  
What did that whore do now?!  
We don't know**

**stupid welsh**

**Blaise: I KNOW!**

**Draco: Stop talking shit about the Welsh**

**Harry: Yeah, they're neat**

**Ron: And small!**

**Draco: And they have sheep!**

**Blaise: You suck**

**Draco::insert obvious oral sex joke here::**

**Harry::sigh::**

**Ron: So...who wants hot cocoa**

**Blaise: Meeeeeeeeee**

**FireStorm: I've been drinking some much of this recently, I mean, I've not been in the mood for coffee since I got back from Costa Rica. I guess it was so good there that I don't trust Starbucks to be that awesome**

**Blaise: Also, Ron makes reeeeeally good cocoa**

**Ron: My secret ingredient is rum.**

**FireStorm: woot woot**

**Haha, we're all geting drunk so...happy fourth of july and summer everyone!**

**LOVE!  
FireStorm and the Gang**


	18. Oh, what a whore

**::The Defense Room::**

Sirius stood outside the door glaring.

"That whore."

Remus, who was at his side reading a tome about Welsh magic, spoke up, "It says here that the use of a Welsh spell could completely negate any Latin magic used…"

"She's a whore, whores are uneducated so we could not possibly expect her to know that."

Remus shot him a look, "It says that the nature of Welsh magic is-"

"To counter act other types of magic or require a concentration of power and emphasis that only truly great wizards can accomplish." Draco finished the thought for him.

"Right," Remus nodded.

"That lady is such a whore," Sirius grumbled.

Remus snapped his book shut, "Calling her a whore won't fix this Siri, calm down and let's start working."

Blaise leaned against a wall, scrunched between Hermione and Theo, and the three of them began researching spells in the "Encyclopedia of Spells; New, Ancient, Obscure and Common."

Hermione sighed, " 'Boriviacorpus is a spell which allows the castor to track and inflict great harm upon those who walk into or near a place enchanted by it. It is often used by kings to enchant their castles and the chambers of their daughters. The castor is able to watch the movements of their victim and cast spells on them from a great distance, upwards of three or four thousand miles.' She's probably already got you Blaise and she might have us now too."

"Well shit," Blaise groaned. "What is the counter-spell?"

"It advises use of the 'Grey Shielding Spell' then drinking the 'Healer's Protection Potion' within seven days of being contaminated."

"Poop," Draco pouted. "We need Severus."

"I had Dumble-butt call him back from vacation."

They smiled.

Sirius was pouting too. "I want my classroom back."

Pansy strolled up, "I have answers," they all turned to her, "I've traced the whore's," Sirius smiled and appreciated that someone thought of her the same way he did, "Route through the castle. She's came in through an open window on the first floor," Pansy said, "Then followed the standard route up here and then out the main doors."

"That's annoyingly unexciting," Draco rolled his eyes. "What else do you know?"

"I know that she's staying in Italy." She said, "And teaching."

They leaned in.

"She's the Defense teacher at the school Sasha and Mercutio attend."

"Which would explain some things," Blaise said. "She probably used a polyjuice potion to impersonate Sasha, come fuck with Draco's head and send us all into turmoil so she could come here and put spells on our castle while we were distracted by them." He pointed to Harry and Draco.

"Drama queens," Pansy smiled at them.

Harry just grinned.

"I found it," Theo sprang up, " 'Liutinaeus is a spell used only to corrupt magic already in place.' "

"What does that mean?"

"She used the spell to undo magic already in the castle and the room. That means the Welsh spell must do something nasty."

They turned to Blaise, "Well?"

He cleared his throat and began to read, "Predaga is an ancient enchantment of Welsh and Gaelic origins revolving around the use of a creature as its main means of power. Often animals such as snakes or rats are used; their life forces are drained to power the spell and give it a lasting effect, thus removing the focus from the castor allowing weaker wizards to cast this spell. The spell itself is known to deteriorate other types of magic as well as destroy materials such as stone, steel, wood and other hard metals…"

"So?" Ron looked between them all.

"The Defense room is pretty central compared to the rest of the castle," Pansy commented, looking around them, scanning the walls, ceiling and floors with her eyes.

"She's trying to demolish the castle."

"Oh," Ron frowned. "She's such a whore."

Sirius smiled smugly at Remus, "The kids agree with me."

"It is because you're all immature." Remus responded, "We have to figure out how to undo that spell, now."

"It says," Theo spoke, "That only Welsh or old Anglo-Saxon magicks are useful against this spell but also that the exact counter-spell is unknown."

"Oh poop," Ron groaned, "Now we have to do research," he hoisted himself into a standing position, "Onward."

In that moment Hermione looked very proud.

They all got up and made vague movements towards the library. Blaise seemed least willing to go.

"I really don't want to," he whined.

"Too bad," Draco hoisted him to his feet and they left.

At the library Draco and Blaise took one look at all the books and groaned.

"Why don't we start on the Healer's Protection Potion?" Draco suggested.

"Good idea," Harry nodded, "We'll send Remus down in a few hours to check on you."

Draco nodded and pulled down the copy of "Potions and Brews, the complete anthology".

He and his Italian left the group to start pulling down books regarding old magic.

Harry sat quietly at a table, flipping through a book when a first year wandered close.

"Mr. Potter, sir?"

He looked up, "What do you need?"

"I-I wanted to know if you're still dating that Slytherin, Malfoy."

"Of course I am," he nodded.

The kid nodded, "Are you happy in your relationship?"

Harry almost laughed, "Who put you up to this?"

The kid looked ready to wet themselves, "I-I-I-uhm, Rita Skeeter," he admitted.

"Don't worry about it," Harry smiled, "Tell her if she has questions to send in a request for an interview."

"O-Okay," he nodded and scampered away.

"What was that?" Ron asked as he set four books down and took a seat.

"Just a kid doing Skeeter's dirty work."

"I see," he nodded and opened a book.

Hermione came over then, seven books floating behind her and another in her arms. "Hi boys," she took her seat on the other side of Harry and smiled. "Just like old times, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded and smiled warmly.

"I miss this," Ron said, "What ever happened to our weekly search sessions for info regarding evil plots of objects?"

"We won the war," Harry said.

"And we all started dating people who knew more than a little about the Dark Arts," Hermione added.

Good point," Ron nodded. "I find myself in awe of how much Blaise secretly knows."

"He is nuts," Harry agreed, "He doesn't seem like he'd be super smart but then BAM! he busts out this knowledge about rare third century troll artifacts and it's like, wow, where did that come from?"

"Oh I know," Hermione said, "He knows about the most obscure things, like how he could tell Predaga was Welsh! I mean, it doesn't sound Latin but really, he must be so smart under that act he puts on."

"Yeah," Ron said, "I don't get why he hides it or why he would put up with me. He has to explain a lot of stuff to me, just about pureblood history and upper class society and language and potions and life, holy Merlin, he read some really confusing philosophy sometimes and I don't even ask him to explain that."

Hermione smiled, "Draco's none to dumb himself."

"Merlin no," Harry shook his head, "He's a bloody genius."

"I heard him talking to Blaise about the Realm of the Dead," Ron mentioned, "It involved some words I never heard of and events and people and spells I had no idea about. It was confusing as all hell."

"They do that!" Harry eagerly agreed, "They just start going about something and leave you totally in the dust."

"Oh I know."

Hermione just kept reading and let the boys discuss their boyfriend's secret intellects. She turned over her shoulder to see Theo flipping through books and then tossing them aside. Pansy was near him, looking lazily at a copy of Witch Weekly set sneakily inside a large tome. Hermione smiled.

Down in the dungeons Draco was levitated a mass of jars and bottles towards the huge cauldron they had set up. Blaise was beginning to boil all the rose water and extract of morning glory.

"I'll do this," Draco took over the stirring, "You start on the herbs and cutting out seeds and stems."

Blaise took the many things to a large table and began slicing them apart.

"Are you okay" Draco asked, "With your dad and everything?"

Blaise shrugged, "I think so. Ridex is still a jerk but, I guess, I guess I understand the situation and I've pretty much forgiven him for the summer incident. He apologized for that anyway."

"Good," Draco nodded, "Will you go visit him soon?"

"Maybe over the weekend I'll bring Ron over so they can meet and get acquainted."

"You should work things out with Mrs. Weasley too."

Blaise rolled his eyes, "I still don't know what I did to her."

"I have no idea," Draco said, "Maybe if we sent her a-"

"NO," Blaise stopped him, "Remember what happened last time we tried to do something for her? You ran into an evil version of Sasha and broke up with Harry _and_ became the Keeper of Magic not to mention brought the wrath of a crazy Spaniard upon the castle."

"So what more bad things could happen?"

"Don't ever say that," he warned, "It only brings super bad things. Like, Dumbledore is going to become gay and lust after us and suddenly silencing spells wont work so we have to hear people shagging all night and my dad will turn out to have creepy fetishes with feet and giants and latex."

"That's terrifying," Draco shuddered.

"I know," he agreed, "So don't ever say that phrase again."

"Leech juice," Draco called and Blaise pulled the jar of brownish goo from the pile.

"How much?"

"As much as an eye might hold," Draco read, "So, I'm guessing that's one good gloop."

"I had no idea an 'eye' was a unit of measurement," Blaise shoved a spoon in and withdrew a small pile of it, "Good?"

"That's fine." He dropped it in. The potion turned the predicted pale blue. "Good."

"What do you need next?"

"The pomegranate seeds," he said, "So many as might grow an orchard…I hate these old time spells, bloody poetry."

"I'm guessing that's about fifty," Blaise said and began measuring the amount.

"We'll need Themera petals and thorns of a silver rose next." Draco warned.

"Any specific amounts?"

"It just says to add them as our hearts desire for they shall only strengthen the potion the more we add."

"Convenient," Blaise smiled.

"What about you and Ron?" Draco asked, "How are things there?"

"Fine," Blaise brought over handfuls of petals and thorns, "Add those when it's time. I think Ron's a little scared by some of the conversations we have."

Draco gave him an odd look, "What do you mean?"

"Sometimes we just get into these conversations where, well, to an outside observer we may as well be speaking Latin," Blaise said, "Like last week, we were discussing the role of Greek magic in the evolution of modern magic and the influences of both Caribbean and Mediterranean heathen magics. Remember how Ron walked in part way through, looked like a pigmy goat caught in a Killing curse and left?"

"Yes," Draco said, still unsure of where this was going.

"Well, later that night he asked what we had been talking about and I tried to explain but…he just got that look again."

"So we're not allowed to talk about things that are too complicated for him?"

"No, no," Blaise said, "It's just something to be aware of."

Draco gave Blaise one his 'looks,' "He forgets your smart, doesn't he."

"It seems like it," he shrugged, "I'm not upset about it though, it's just…I can keep up a conversation with Theo or any one else. I may not act like a bitch with a book in my arse but I'm not an idiot."

"He knows that," Draco reassured him, "He's just easily confused and probably does not realize we have need to discuss such things."

"I suppose," Blaise smiled and tossed in the pile of seeds, "It's a cute look anyways."

Draco smiled. "You like him a lot don't you."

"Of course I do," Blaise said, "I'm willing to put up with the shit his mum gives me. Not to mention we've been together nearly a year."

"We're all coming up on our year-longs, aren't we?" Draco smiled and dusted the thorns and petals in. They sank to the bottom of the cauldron and tinted the liquid gold.

"We are indeed," Blaise nodded, "You know…we should get Pansy with someone."

Draco almost laughed, "Who do we know who could possibly handle dating Pansy?"

"I have no idea," Blaise shrugged, "She could date Ron's older brothers Fred and George, I bet the two of them could handle her."

"Pansy hardly likes men at all and even if she was totally straight she would go for the tall, dark, rugged, nasty sort, not the tall, freckled, sissy, jokester sort."

"I suppose," Blaise began to think… "What about Ginny?"

"She likes girls?"

"Oh, does she ever," Blaise grinned, "I've had my ear to the ground for some time now regarding the Weaselette and they say she was seen pulling none other than Hannah Abbott into a broom closet not but two weeks ago."

"Interesting tid bit," Draco smiled, "We'll have to corner her and see if she's interested."

They shared an evil grin.

"Merlin I miss this," Blaise said, "Plotting and sneaking around."

"Pansy will thank us," Draco insisted, "What could go wrong?"

"That is another phrase you're not allowed to say," Blaise said, "Because now Ginny will turn out to only like giant, hairy, man-women with nine tattoos and something too similar to a penis for comfort."

Draco shivered, "Terrifying."

"What next?"

Draco read over the potion, "Just a pinch of Atlantic ocean sand and a chant."

Blaise walked over with the black glass jar, "Start chanting." He reached in and began scattering sand over the surface of the potion. Draco read the spell and the potion thickened up and turned clear.

"Go get the kids, we're going to bathe and spell ourselves then kick this whore in the face," Draco said and tapped any excess off the stirring spoon.

Blaise smiled and strolled out to find everyone else. Along the way he ran into a certain young red head. He took a hold of her shoulders and began to walk with her.

"Hey, Gin, I have a proposition for you…" his smile should have warned her but she was too curious…

* * *

**Weeeeee**

**nothing really happened but we found out what the spells do _and_ I've revealed my plans for Pansy**

**mwahahaha**

**Pansy: Damn**

**Draco: You should be excited! She's pretty!**

**Blaise: And Draco and I are meddling again!**

**Pansy: I hate you both**

**Harry: rawr at the lot of you**

**FireStorm: Cute, Harry, really cute**

**Theo: I want to ask: Sirius + Remus couple?**

**FireStorm: Oh, good question, Theo. Answer: I don't know yet, probably but maybe not...I don't know what else I would do with them.**

**Harry: ALSO! Whatcha gunna do aboot Cuida?**

**FireStorm: Uhm...that would give it away**

**Draco: What about my father, Severus, Chael and what ever happened to the sequal for Az and Julian??**

**FireStorm: You dad will be a very side character, Sev and Chael will reenter the spotlight soon and yes, I promised that sequal but I have enough trouble just writing this one so I've put the idea aside for now and will figure it out when I wrap this and "Giving and Taking" the LM/SS side project of mine. Which, by the by, I'm about to update. Hell yeah playa.**

**Theo: If we're going to be all...energetic and things can we maybe get coffee...?**

**Draco: TO STARBUCKS!**

**Blaise: I want an Orange Mocha Frapaccino!**

**FireStorm: I think those are fictional, like, just from  Zoolander** **fictional...**

**Blaise::pouty!::**

**Love from,  
FireStorm and the gang**


	19. I am your father

**WARNING! Drugs present in this chapter, not used but they are there. Sorry**

The young, redhead stopped walking.

"You what?"

"We were thinking you could…you know…go out with Pansy a couple times, just mess around, you know, whatever it is girls do," Blaise smiled at her.

She put her hands on her hips, " 'whatever it is girls do'? I don't know what you mean by that but," she paused, "Pansy is a gorgeous girl and ever since she came back she's been getting prettier by the day."

Blaise, who had never really liked girls, much less Pansy, just gave her a grin, "So?"

"Sure," Ginny nodded, "I'll take care of Pansy for you."

"Splendid," Blaise said, "Just don't hurt her or I'll tie you to a chair and tell you about every time your brother and I have shagged in great, dripping detail."

She shuddered in horror, "No worries, Zabini," she said.

"Even more splendid," Blaise said joyously, "Come along then."

Ginny followed him. They rounded a corner in the library and found Pansy. She was on a stool, reaching for a book she could not quite get to. Her skirt, already short, seemed miniscule as compared to her mile-long legs. Ginny smiled to Blaise, "You can go now."

Blaise quickly walked away to inform his friends of the potion's completion.

"Hi," Ginny smiled and Pansy turned to her.

"What is it, freckles?"

"I just wanted to say hello."

Pansy, who was rather intelligent, smirked, "And your recent conversation with my old friend Blaise had nothing to do with that?"

Ginny watched her step down from the stool and cross her arms. "You've caught me," she admitted. "I had asked him if you were seeing anyone because I was hoping to ask you to Hogsmeade this Saturday."

"Is that so?" Pansy quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah," she smiled.

"I'll see you at the school gates at eleven," Pansy said and walked away.

Ginny nodded and left the library.

"Come on kids," Blaise wrapped an arm around Ron, "We have a potion to bathe in."

They all stood and shut the books they were reading.

Ron stood and stretched, cracking his back in the process. His ginger hair had grown out in the past year and darkened a little. It hung into his eyes and had earned a brown tint and darker red color. His eyes were the same, pretty bright blue they had always been and his light brown lashes were long and framed the eyes quite nicely. He was dotted in brown freckles, all over his cheeks, neck, arms, back, stomach and legs and Blaise really quite loved them. Draco had threatened to play 'naughty connect-the-dots' with them should Ron ever pass out near him. Ron, in retaliation, waited until Draco was thoroughly smashed before getting even sort of drunk.

Ron put an arm around Blaise's hips and they led the group down to the depths.

"In here," Blaise pushed open the door and they saw Draco inspecting the potion.

Hermione walked over, picked up the book and started reading the potion, asking Draco if each step had been performed and gone well.

They took turns casting the spell and washing down in the potion.

Draco and Harry went first. It left a strange feeling, as though carbonated bubbles were popping on the skin. It made Harry shiver ticklishly.

They climbed out and dried off.

"Hey," Blaise said once they were done, "Did we find anything else on the other two spells?"

"Oh, lots," Hermione recounted their findings.

**::Italy::**

"Where in the devil's name are you going?" Dimitri stood in the doorway.

"Read the paper!" Ridex screamed for the thirty-fourth time.

"Okay," Dimitri grabbed the crumpled Noticia Italia from the floor. "Some old guy died, a baby rode a giant scorpion and…there's a new Head of Magical Education Review."

"That old guy is Desdemona's newest husband." He turned back to the trunk he was throwing things into.

"And why do you care?"

"Having Blaise over made me, made me realize that I really need straighten things out with her and figure us out," he said and sighed. Dimitri set down the paper and went to the trunk. He knelt and began folding the things inside. "I just want to see her and patch things up and, maybe-"

"Shag her senseless?"

"No!" Ridex turned over his shoulder, "No, that's not what I meant…I'm trying to fix things."

"I bet you are," Dimitri smirked at him. "This whole situation is very convoluted. You told the boys you didn't really care and you told Blaise you were too scared to take care of him and Desdemona."

"I was," he snapped, "I am, still. I can't take care of her-"

"She doesn't need you to take care of her," Dimitri said, "She's a full grown woman with her own life and a home and a good son, your son, and she's survived so far. If she asks you back into her life it isn't to take care of her, it's because she cares about you."

Ridex sat down and put his head in his hands, "I don't think she'll ever ask me to come back."

"You won't know," Dimitri slammed the lid of the trunk, "Until you go out and talk to her."

"Damnit," he grumbled, "You're always right."

"Comes with the territory," he said and locked the trunk, "Get going."

Ridex stood and left the room, allowing Dimitri to levitate the trunk after him.

He stood at the fire place with a pile of Gloo powder in his hands. "I'll be home by the next full moon."

The small young man nodded, "I'll see you then."

**::Elsewhere in Italy:: **

Lucia Cuida was still a beautiful woman. Her wild, dark hair curled down her back and over her shoulders. Her face was still perfectly formed and feminine. She had the curvy figure and seductive walk. The only difference was the scars across her body and the insane tint to her eyes.

The scars were from battles with the Parkinson girl. The insane tint from the chasing, the heat, the battles, the loss of her former life and almost her soul, from the eight months of chaos. She walked the halls of the Institute, watching the shadows for the hollow, black framed face of Pansy Parkinson. She stopped at a pale stretch of marble wall.

"Priota," she waved her wand and stepped through the solid wall. A cauldron sat in the otherwise bare room. She went to it and looked in. The images were hazy, fading. She swore.

Not only had the Bogart used to power the Predaga spell been utterly destroyed, now they were counteracting the Boriviacorpus spell as well. She glowered and wondered how they knew which spell to go after first and how to keep students away from the room _and _been so efficient about it.

She watched the images continue to fade and she knew she had failed.

Cuida turned out the window and frowned.

"There is still work to be done," she whispered to herself and left to try and salvage the mission.

**::Poland::**

"What's going on?" Lucius asked, leaning on his cane and the door frame.

"Something has happened at Hogwarts, I must go," Severus picked Chael off the top of a wobbling tower of books and set him on the floor, "Bloody child is apparating already and to the most dangerous places no less."

"What happened?"

"Cuida," he said shortly and Lucius stepped forward, containing a wince as he leg shot pain to his brain.

"I'll come with you," he said and snapped his fingers, he ordered a house elf to pack his trunk for immediate departure. He never let his old friend argue.

"Listen, Lucius," Severus ran his hands through his hair and turned to see his son appear on top of the book case, a good seven feet about the ground. He groaned and went over quickly, reaching up for the boy, "Think about your son. He's happy at Hogwarts, away from…well…you and this and his old life. Consider how you will affect him."

"My son is my son and no matter how old he gets I will still do my best to protect him."

Severus just looked at his old friend for a moment, "You never protected him from the Dark Lord, from the life you knew he would fall into, from you, from himself…Lucius, you've never done anything to protect Draco."

"Never too late to start then," Lucius said and smiled just a little. "Listen, Severus, I know you think me to be an awful father and I am but I want to start trying…I want to make things right with my son and be there for him. I want to see him graduate and be okay in the world."

"Noble," Severus said and glanced over to see his son disappear into mid air. "Bloody hell," he began scanning the high points in the room. "Chael?"

They heard a giggle from somewhere in the ceiling.

"He'll come down when he wants," Lucius said, "Part of having children, old friend, is letting them experience things and make mistakes. I did not know that while I was raising Draco, I suppose I just didn't care. You, on the other hand, need to let this troublesome son of yours become his own man, coddling him because you miss Narcissa will only hurt both of you. If he truly is her son it will be harder to kill him than to make stones bleed without magic."

"I know," he sighed, "I just don't want him to be hurt or hate me."

"He won't hate you," Lucius insisted and snapped his fingers. A house elf appeared and he ordered it to retrieve the child from the ceiling. "Chael will grow up with a loving father, a supportive family and a privileged life."

Severus nodded slowly as Chael was returned to his arms.

"If only things were simple again."

"Nothing has been simple since you and I were children," Lucius said, "Whether it be the war, us or the world, things have been getting complicated for decades."

They agreed on that. They left silently.

**::Back at Hogwarts::**

Lucius and Severus arrived in Dumbledore's office, their things already present and the Head Master watching expectantly.

"Good day Albus," Lucius said, otherwise disregarding the old man. He turned and left that room, Severus walking close behind.

They walked as fast as Lucius could go towards the dungeons where they suspected the kids would be. They entered the entrance hall to see the door open and an old friend walk in.

"Ridex?"

The Italian man went wide eyed.

"Oh, hello," he said.

"You're dead," Lucius frowned.

"Oh," he smiled, "No, I haven't been dead in ages."

"What?" Lucius was rather unnerved by the sight of someone he had not seen in seventeen years.

"I left but I didn't die," he said. "I just sort of…hung out in Italy."

They were quiet again.

"How are things down there?" Severus asked and let Chael squirm from his arms and onto the stone floor.

"Strange," he said.

**::Seventeen Years Ago (Approx. the same location)::**

"Whoa, Rid," Lucius ran down the stairs into the hall, "Where are you going?"

The tall, dark haired boy turned and ran his hands over his face, "I'm going…away."

"Where?" he asked, coming to rest in front of the boy.

"I don't know."

"Why?"

Ridex looked down at his packed trunk on the floor, "Dezzy says she's pregnant…"

"Holy ish," Lucius went wide eyed, "Seriously?"

"Yeah," he nodded and turned in a circle, looking around and twitching and shaking. "I mean, she rolled me over this morning and said 'hey, rid, guess who's havin' a baby' and oh my Merlin Luc," he rubbed his neck and looked at the ceiling, "I am _not not not _ready to be a father."

Lucius sighed.

The night before had been the annual 'Snake's Pit Party' and they had been drunk off their tits by eleven that night. It was tradition. Lucius was sure Severus was still unconscious in the broom closet near Ravenclaw and all three Black sisters had been missing all day. As he thought back he remembered Desdemona to be extremely sober all night.

"That's hard luck, man," Lucius said. The two had been married that past weekend since school was ending in three days.

"I know," he agreed. Lucius was getting married in five days to the youngest Black sister and they had long ago said neither wanted to be fathers until they were twenty or more.

"Look," he sat down on the trunk and Ridex collapsed next to him, "Don't run away. You'll be hurting Dez and messing up this kid, I know you aren't ready but-" he stopped as Ridex's twitching grew more severe, "Rid, are you okay?"

He was quiet then turned to his friend, "No, man."

"What's going on?"

"This…guy I met gave me some American drug," he pulled a white bag from his pocket, "They call it MC, magical cocaine, it's vicious stuff."

"You-you're addicted?" Lucius took the bag and examined the white powder coating the inside.

"Maybe a little," he admitted and rung his hands, "I can't handle a kid or marriage or-or myself even. I have to get out of here."

Lucius pulled a scrap of parchment from his pocket and wrote something down, "Go here, they'll help you."

Ridex took the slip and put it into his back pocket, "Thanks."

They stood.

"Be safe, Rid," Lucius pushed some white hair from his eyes, "I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"Thanks," Rid nodded and they hugged briefly. The Italian boy levitated his trunk and walked out the door.

That was the last time they spoke.

* * *

**Draco: Well hello there sappy chapter!**

**Blaise: Woooo! Sappy! post script Ron is a babe!**

**Ron: You say that as though I'm not right here...**

**Blaise: I like pretending. ::sneaky::**

**Draco: Me and Harry sometimes pretend he's a rogueish prince and I'm trapped in a tower in-**

**Theo: Oh my Merlin, STOP THAT RIGHT NOW**

**Hermione: That mental image could have ruined everything forever**

**Theo::shudders::**

**Ron: I want to have a cookie**

**Draco: Oooh, oooh, I want a muffin.**

**Theo: I wish you two were mute**

**Blaise: Mmmm, muffins**

**Hermione: Actually, I really want thumbprint cookies, you know, shortbread with chocolate in the middle in like, a little mountain shape and mmmm**

**Theo: You are all idiots ::walks away::**

**FireStorm: We're going for foooood : )**

**LOVE!  
FireStorm and the Gang  
**


	20. More plot than necessary

"_Be safe, Rid," Lucius pushed some white hair from his eyes, "I don't want anything bad to happen to you."_

"_Thanks," Rid nodded and they hugged briefly. The Italian boy levitated his trunk and walked out the door. _

_That was the last time they spoke._

**::Present::**

"You never wrote," Lucius said.

"I thought it best," he said.

"Does Blaise know you're alive?"

"Pretty significantly," he said, "Turns out that girl, Angela Rimii, got pregnant too…her son, Mercutio, contacted Blaise a few weeks ago."

"I see," Lucius nodded, "And you've…gotten better?"

"Mostly," he said, keeping quiet about his heavy drinking and womanizing. "I'm clean though," he reassured his old friend.

Severus looked between them.

They had always been very close friends, loving the same things (booze, women, fun and women), and since they were in the same year and they were, in fact, the King of Snakes and the Italian Viper.

Severus had never understood it really. He had never had very good friends.

"I'm glad to hear it," Lucius leaned on his cane.

"What happened to you?"

"The war," he answered and waited for Ridex to say something.

"Your son," he said slowly, "Helped win that."

"He did." Lucius smiled, "I could not be more proud of him."

Severus spoke up, "Blaise was involved too. He helped organize and plan everything."

"He was?" Ridex smiled, "I'm glad."

"Why are you here?"

"I heard that Dezzy's husband died and so I came to patch things up with her and our kid."

"Good luck," Severus said and glanced around to see Chael in a painting. "Bloody hell."

"Feisty child there, is it yours?"

"Oh yes," he nodded and went to the painting, "It's Narcissa's too and that explains his early onset magical abilities."

Ridex knew better than to question the situation, being pureblood meant just accepting a lot of things normally deemed strange.

"I should go find my son."

"We're looking for Draco," Lucius said, "They'll probably be together."

They began walking towards Slytherin as Snape tried to coax Chael from within the two dimensional art.

**::Dungeons::**

"Riddle me this," Blaise cast the spell on Ron, "Was she using the Bogart to power the spell? If so does that means it's all nixed out?"

Pansy shook her black hair out and sent droplets of the potion spraying across the room, "I have no idea but that Bogart isn't powering anything ever again."

"What did you do to it exactly?"

She smirked, "Nothing."

"That never means anything good," Blaise said and pulled his shirt on.

Ridex walked in and quirked an eyebrow at the group of wet teens getting dressed. This was another one of those things you sometimes have to accept without question.

"Blaise, I heard about your step-father's death."

"Oh," Blaise nodded, "Did he finally die?"

"It was in the papers," he said.

"Well then, you should probably be talking to mum and not me."

"I just wanted to-to check on you."

"I'm fine," he smiled and looked his father over, "Are you going to try and win mum back?"

Ridex was quiet.

"You better get going to her before she meets some rich bachelor at the funeral," Blaise said.

Ridex nodded his head and took a step backwards, "Be good," he smiled and left.

Lucius stepped in.

"Draco," he said, "I heard that Lucia Cuida was loose-"

"We heard she was teaching down in Italy," Draco said and combed his hair. He looked over his father and noticed how much he was aging. The bags under his eyes were highly pronounced and his eyes ended in crow's feet and his hair was turning from white to the same silver-gray of his eyes. He leaned heavily on his cane and the way he stood was distinctly reminiscent of how an elderly man stooped and leaned in effort to hold himself up. It was saddening.

"She's on the move," he said, "Probably on her way here." He looked to Pansy and her face wrinkled into a snarl.

"Why would she-" Ron stopped talking when he saw Pansy, "Oh."

"I should hope you are all keeping safe and out of trouble."

"Yes sir," the snakes answered and gave small bows while Pansy did a small curtsy. Hermione, Harry and Ron were more than a little perplexed by that but did nothing to show that.

"Good," he nodded, "I came to see that my son was doing well and was not in danger."

Draco did not point out that it was Lucius' fault he had ever been put in any danger. The jagged scar across his neck tingled a little and he covered his shiver with pureblood skill.

"Will you speaking to the Head Master about your concerns?" Severus pushed into the room with Chael in his arms.

"I doubt it," Lucius said. "I'll be going North to Wiltshire to see the house and make sure things are in order before heading to Poland again."

"Will you be coming by for the holidays?" Draco asked as he pulled Chael from Severus.

"I should doubt it though you may feel free to use any of the other houses to entertain guests or your friends," Lucius said and knew he was giving Draco a free pass to the world.

Draco gave his father another small bow and a nod of his head, "That is very kind of you father."

Blaise and Theo mimicked the action, "Thank-you Lord Malfoy."

"Of course," he nodded to them and turned. "Be careful, Draco. I truly do not want anything to happen to you."

"Of course, father, I shall be careful," he said and Lucius swept out of the room.

Severus wiped his hands on his robe and examined the potion in the cauldron, "You brewed this all by yourselves?"

"Yes we did," he said and rubbed his nose against Chael's, making the baby giggle loudly in delight.

Snape nodded and watched as Chael disappeared from Draco's hands.

"What?"

"He's got a propensity for apparating."

"A talent I sometimes wish my father had," Draco muttered. "I'm going for a smoke," he brushed off his hands on his trousers and turned to leave. "Anyone coming?"

"I'll come up in a few minutes," Harry said and kissed his cheek.

Draco walked out and turned left, towards most of the castle and specifically Shag Terrace. The blonde boy walked out onto the balcony and dug through his pockets for the squashed and mostly empty pack of Magic Blacks. He lit one against his wand and leaned back against the wall, sighing heavily and watching his breath and the smoke swirl up into the air.

He jerked forward, gasping for air and rose up until his toes barely touched the floor. He yelped and dropped the smoldering cigarette. From beneath the Terrace a woman on a broomstick appeared. She came into the sunlight and Draco screamed.

The old image of an evil witch on a broom rang true as Cuida held her wand towards the blonde. She grinned madly and hissed a spell he could not hear. His insides twisted against his bones and everything began to push out as he was shrunk down. His head felt like a thousand pounds as all his muscles screamed as they seemed to be rearranged within him. Something painful cracked and Draco gritted his teeth against it.

He felt tiny as he looked around and saw the world from seven inches tall. He floated over the edge and nothing stood beneath him and a hundred feet down. Cuida reached her other hand out and closed it around him, gripping tight. She pulled him close and opened her mouth to cackle, showing her teeth and Draco feared he was about to be eaten.

He yelled again.

She just laughed at him.

Draco twisted around to see the doors to the Terrace open and Harry run out.

The Boy Wonder stopped and watched, stunned as Cuida held his tiny boyfriend in her hands and turned her evil grin to him.

"Better luck next time, filth," she said and turned her broom towards the forest.

"No!" Harry yelled and ran to the edge. He pulled his wand out.

Draco felt himself get shoved into a Endless sack and all he knew was black.

Cuida lay flat against the broom and took off in a sudden blast.

Harry shot spells at her form but it grew too distant.

"Damn!" Harry gasped and could hardly see the speck of black on the horizon. He turned and raced back to the dungeons. "Help! Help!"

They spun around as he threw the door open, "Cuida is back, she's taken Draco."

"What?" they all responded.

"She made him tiny and then flew off, I couldn't stop her-"

"Which way did she go?"

"Out over the forest," he gasped.

"She's headed back to Italy."

Pansy grabbed her wand from the table and used it to tie her combat boots. "Let's go."

The small group followed her and Harry towards Shag Terrace.

Blaise picked up the cigarette and took a drag. He hummed and looked around.

**::Unknown Location::**

Draco woke up as he tumbled out of the Endless Bag and onto a cold slab of marble. He looked up to see a massive bell jar clamp down around him. He stood and ran to the side to watch Cuida sweep out of the room, leaving it dark and empty. The only light shone from right above him and illuminated only the stand on which he was set. Draco sighed. He could sense that the jar was heavily charmed to be immovable, anti-magic and invisible. He hated how competent she was.

He sat down and pulled his cigarettes out. He absolutely despised these sorts of situations.

**::The Ministry of Magic::**

Lucius pushed through the doors and stood before the Wizengamot.

"Why have you called me here?"

The First Chair stood. He was an old, stuffy man called Bordergaarad.

"You are being tried with war crimes against the wizarding world and humanity."

"This is ludicrous," he snarled, "I sat as omniscient judge for Sirius Black not four months ago. I am known to have helped in the battle at Hogwarts. I walk wounded from that battle. I am Lord Lucius Malfoy and this trial is a childish attempt by a desperate Minister to regain control and public approval."

Bodergaarad cleared his throat.

"This trial is for the crimes committed in the First Uprising of the Dark Lord Voldemort."

His shoulders squared, "Not only have I publicly repented these crimes and denounced the bigotry of the Death Eaters, a previous convention of this court has dismissed my fault."

"New crimes have come to light," he said, "Including the murders of James and Lily Potter and the use of Unforgivables on Peter Pettigrew to force him to join the Death Eaters and murder thirteen people, framing Sirius Black."

He struck his cane against the ground, "I have stood trial for the murders of the Potters and my innocence was proven then. I was with my wife and my son in Ireland on that night. I was not there."

The old man shook his head, "The trial will be in four weeks, until then you are to remain in Azkaban."

"This is an affront to the entire wizarding world," he said and showed his white teeth to the Aurors who approached him, "Stay away from me little boy," he snapped, "This is an outrage and you will pay," he directed that to the men in the stands. "No one crosses a Malfoy."

He turned and left the room with the Aurors on either side of him.

**::Hogwarts:: **

"What are we going to do?"

Blaise ran his hands through his hair.

"We should track her-"

"How?" Hermione cut off that suggestion, "We have no way of following her."

Ron shrugged, "We're wizards, and we can do anything. If Voldemort can shatter his soul and stick it in a cup, we can track a lady on a broomstick."

"With some research," she said, "To the library."

Ron, Theo and Blaise followed her.

Harry and Pansy stayed on the terrace until Severus had gone too.

She conjured a heavy black cloak and charmed it with warming and water proof spells.

"What are you doing?"

"Going to track that crazy bitch," Pansy said and clasped the robe around her neck, pulling the hood up to throw shadows over her face.

"I'm coming with you," he took hold of her arm and she turned, smiling, to him.

"If you can keep up."

The rain began to fall and, just like the first time Harry had kissed Draco, the bottles attached to the edge began to play a song.

* * *

**OH MY GOD! What did I do?!**

**Am I seriously getting Ridex and Desdemona back together? Was Draco actually captured?**

**Holy outhouse**

**I felt bad for having so little plot in the past couple chapters so I injected this one with plot-roids (like steroids but for stories)**

**lolz**

**Draco: THIS SUCKS! **

**Harry: At least you still get to talk to us**

**Blaise: I want some iced tea**

**Draco: You idiot, I'm KIDNAPPED!**

**Blaise: More like Draco-napped. **

**Harry: Or Blonde-napped**

**Ron: Or Gay-Napped**

**Blaise: OH! Or Tiny-shrunken-guy-napped!**

**Draco: You are a butthead**

**Blaise: No one has called me a butthead in twelve years, well played Draco**

**Draco::rawr::**

**Harry: Me and Pansy are on the way to rescue you**

**Draco: She's gunna eat somebody!**

**Pansy::evil giggle::**

**Draco: SEE! **

**Harry: But she won't eat you**

**FireStorm: Or maybe she will! **

**LOVE!  
FireStorm and the Gang**


	21. Adventures

**::The Great Hall::**

Students milled around, exploring their lunch options.

Remus and Sirius were sitting at the staff table. Sirius was angrily poking a pile of mashed potatoes while Remus wrote out potions lesson plans for the day.

Through the main doors walked Severus, looking around for his son.

Remus looked up and smiled. "Come, Severus, sit with us. I thought you would not be back for a week or two."

"I was not planning on it but some things came up," he sat down.

"Like what?"

"Cuida being loose," he said, "And we believe there is a problem with the ancient magic and some sort of Keeper business is afoot."

"Keeper business?" Remus repeated, "Like what?"

"Either the new Keeper has found his power or there isn't one and the raw magic is going loose."

"That sounds problematic," he said and glanced to the glass of red wine Severus poured himself. "It's barely noon, Severus-"

"Don't lecture me, Remus," he stopped him. "My son is probably on a roof or underwater with the squid but since he apparated there I cannot quite ever be sure where he is."

"Chael is a handful," Remus said, "Let Sirius and I take care of him for a few days, you should finish your vacation-"

"Not with Draco missing," he snarled.

"Then we'll take care of him while you find Draco," Sirius suggested, "You can't do everything, Severus, just let someone help you. Let us help you."

"He's too much, I can't impose," he insisted and Sirius put a hand on his shoulder.

"Go save your godson," he said, "We'll take care of my nephew."

The black haired man sighed, "Only for a few days-"

"Take all the time you need."

Severus downed his wine and stood, "I'll be in my lab."

"Oh," Sirius stopped him, "Where is the little bugger?"

"I don't actually know," he said as he walked away, "Remember the whole apparating thing? He did that just recently and I haven't quite figured out where he's gone." With that he was gone and Remus and Sirius just looked at each other.

"_Accio Chael_," Sirius said with a flourish of his wand.

"I don't think you can Summon babies Siri," Remus said and took a bite of broccoli.

He looked up to see Chael spinning through the air, giggling and holding his toes.

"Haha!" Sirius yelled triumphantly as he took the child from the air, "Say hello to Uncle Sirius!"

Remus smiled, "Well done."

"I rock at this baby-care stuff," He said and grinned at the child. Chael smiled back and took a head of broccoli from the plate and threw it at Dumbledore.

**::Zabini Manor:: **

He stepped in and looked around.

"Dezzy?"

He heard something at the top of the stairs and saw her. She paused to look at him.

"What?" she asked.

"I came to talk to you…"

She came down the stairs, "Why? What do you need?"

Her eyes were red and he could tell she had been crying, at least for the press.

"I've been thinking, a lot, about us and our son and…everything that happened over the past few years."

She took a few steps closer, "And?"

"Well, I've got a statue that is being delivered to Hogwarts in a few days and I'm going to go and talk to the press and reveal that I'm not actually dead." He said, "I wanted you to be there and, well, that would require us figuring 'us' out first."

They went into a sitting room.

**::Hogwarts::**

Hermione stood at the top of the ladder examining a map in a book.

"Find anything?" Blaise called up.

"The Cuida family is impossible to find anything about," she answered. "I've searched about eleven genealogies and five Encyclopedias of wizarding families!"

Blaise thought for a moment, "There's a _Families of Spain and the Iberian_ book at Draco's house…"

"Is she even pureblood?" Ron called to them, "I have a sneaking suspicion she's probably some random muggle born witch with a propensity for eeeeeeviiiiil."

"No," Blaise tapped his index finger against his chin, "I'm fairly certain the Cuida's are a family of fair repute in Europe…"

"Should we go get that book?" Theo asked. He walked over with a thick tome in hand, "I can't find anything helpful here."

"This school is so limited," Blaise said and beckoned Hermione back to the ground.

She set the book back and began down.

"We should head out as soon as possible," Ron said.

"Let's go to Draco's rooms and Gloo over to his manor," Blaise said and the four set out.

**::Middle of the Forest::**

"Where exactly are we headed?" Harry asked. Over his shoulder a Bottomless Bag was slung, heaving with an invisibility cloak, two brooms, food, water and money. He wore a warm cloak and a pair of fingerless, dragon hide gloves.

"South," she said, "Towards Portugal and the island of Imotili, the Cuida family home."

"Imotili? I've never heard of it," Harry said and dodged a low hanging branch.

"It's a hidden island," she said and stepped over a root, "A young one, perhaps a three hundred years old. The family is young too, hasn't been around long enough to be included in pureblood encyclopedias or to have much information available on them."

"How do you know about it?"

"Lucia's cousin Amerux went to etiquette school with me and told me all about it. Since no one is really aware of it I thought it'd be the best place to start looking for her."

Something cracked in the woods nearby and Harry drew his wand immediately.

"What was that?"

Pansy looked in that direction, "A wolf or bear, most likely."

"Why don't you worry about things like that?" Harry sheathed his wand.

"We have much bigger things to worry about," she said, "A little animal is the least of our troubles."

Harry nodded slowly. "You have a good point," he glanced twice at the spot.

"I don't make points unless they're good," she shot him a smile over her shoulder.

Harry looked around them and spotted a black hawk in the gnarls of a tree. It kept its gold eyes trained on him until he was right beneath them.

"I hate this forest," he grumbled.

Pansy stopped and surveyed the area, "That way," she shifted their course slightly.

"I have no idea how you know that."

She paused, "I did spend eight months wandering Europe with nothing but a wand and my natural assets," she reminded him.

"Right right," he smiled. "You never really told us about that. What was it like?"

She reached out, took hold of a thick, dark vine and tugged on it, "It was strange and terrifying." She pushed off the root and swung over a flat patch of ground. "It's Dark Sand, eat you alive if you're not careful," she swung the vine back across to him, "Careful."

Harry took it and readied himself. "Meet anyone interesting?" He got across with no trouble.

"I met a vampire," she admitted and they kept walking, "A family of giants and a little city of dwarves, no pun intended, just near the boarder with Switzerland. I spent some time with muggles too, I pretended to be a college student spending the summer traveling but I had been robbed. Muggles are surprisingly trusting," she said.

"Giants, 'eh?"

"They're not so bad," she said, "A little clumsy but you would be too if you were forty feet tall."

Harry smiled. He really did like Pansy.

**::Dublin Manor::**

"Found it," Blaise said. He returned to the table and opened the book for them all to read. "Says the family home is on the island of Imotili but is unapproachable by magic by anyone but family and those of close relation to the family."

"So we have to go muggle," Hermione said.

"Sounds like it."

"We should try and catch up with Pansy and Harry." Theo said. "I bet Pansy already knows this and they left for the island."

"Dammit how does she know everything?" Ron asked.

"We don't know," Blaise shook his head, "She's bloody insane."

The four paused, "Let's get some supplies," Hermione said.

They got a bottomless bag from an elf, four cloaks, gloves, food, water, money, brooms and their wands and set out.

Once they were beyond the gates of the manor they kicked off on the brooms and headed back towards Hogsmeade.

**::Hogwarts::**

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the press," Dumbledore quieted them, "We have commissioned a statue to be placed here on the grounds of Hogwarts. A statue to remember a wonderful person who helped save not only the school but the whole wizarding world." He turned and the black cloth fell away. White marble and flawless. Narcissa's form stood there glowing in the dying daylight.

Photographers snapped photos like crazy.

"This will be placed as the new entrance to the Slytherin common rooms after a few words from the artist," he stepped aside and Ridex walked forward. Those that recognized him were awed.

"Hello," he smiled and nodded, "I'm Ridex Zabini."

**::Three Days Later::**

Severus was leaning against the wall, staring at the statue.

It had easily taken over as guardian to the snake den.

"Hey," Sirius walked down, "Chael is missing again."

"Oh," the snake looked at him, "He'll turn up soon enough."

"No, I mean…he's been missing for about a day and a half and I can't seem to Summon him again."

"What?" he turned. "You lost my son?"

"You said yourself that he does that from time to time and we tried to-"

**::Realm Of Death::**

Narcissa turned to see Merlin and Magdus walking towards her.

"What's going on?"

"You need to go to earth," they said.

"What? Now?" she frowned as they continued walking to her. "Why?"

"There's a crazy lady on the loose who kidnapped one of your sons while the other is, perhaps, stuck between dimensions, your husband is being wrongly imprisoned, a group of teens just set out on a foot-trek across Europe to save your first son, your lover / baby daddy is about to have a break down, your cousin is in love with a werewolf, your best friend's dead first husband and baby daddy just turned up alive since her most recent husband keeled over, Dumbledore has gone a little bit mad and Hermione might just be pregnant," the tossed her into the river.

She opened her eyes as she landed in a cold, stiff body. Her head shot forward and she gasped for air. The cold, body of the statue was stiff and hard to move. She blinked, feeling the stone of her eyelids sliding back and forth. It was wholly uncomfortable for her.

She could see Sirius and Severus whirl around to look at her, both drawing their wands immediately. She pulled her feet up from the pedestal and stepped down.

"Calm down," she commanded and they dropped their wands to the ground.

"What's going on?"

The voice coming from the statue was exactly how he remembered her voice; soft, commanding, feminine and yet powerful, laced with the knowledge that she could completely decimate anyone who stood in her way.

"I was sent back to help resolve some of the issues you are all obviously having," she said and examined the thing she inhabited.

"Why?"

She smiled, "A convergence of misfortunes."

They walked behind her up and out of the dungeons.

"We need to find Chael," she paused at the front doors, "So this may get tricky."

They approached the thorns that grew where the Dead Queen died.

She reached into the thorns and pulled some dirt from the middle of the bramble. Severus watched her examined the dirt and then throw it back down.

She took out his wand and muttered an enchantment.

The vines shuddered and shed the thorns.

Each tiny silver fragment melted and began to congeal at her feet. They rose and molded into the shape of the baby. Slowly Chael became apparent and he giggled happily, looking between his father, uncle and the statue of his mother.

Severus knelt and picked him up and immediately noticed the blood flowing over the baby's forehead.

"What is that?" She reached forward and moved his hair to the side.

The crescent moon shape was raw and bleeding.

Severus looked between the baby and Narcissa.

"What does that mean?"

**::Hogsmeade:: **

Harry burst through the far side of the woods with a heavy sigh of relief. He really did like sunlight and open spaces and not those woods.

Pansy was smoking already and she pointed up. "Our friends have joined us."

He looked to see Blaise, Ron, Theo and Hermione flying over on brooms.

"Is this why we went on foot through the woods?" he asked.

"Also because I wanted to hear you squeal, Potter-poo," she stomped out the cigarette and smirked at him.

"Damn," Harry followed her to the Three Broomsticks where she got a table just as their friends walked in looking wind blown and happy.

* * *

**Yup**

**that's that**

**Draco: I WANT TO BE REINTRODUCED INTO THE STORY**

**Blaise: And what in the crap is wrong with the baby?**

**Theo: Did it say Hermione might be pregnant?**

**FireStorm: You'll never know!**

**Harry: Rawr, I want a banana**

**Blaise: FRUIT TIME**

**::everyone does their 'fruit time' dance::**

**Draco: Haha, pun on fruit**

**Blaise::singing:: I'm a fruit, you're a fruit, fruity cocktail haha, cocktail!**

**Draco: I wish my fruit had a cocktail**

**Harry: That doesn't even make sense, Draco. **

**Draco: Ask me if I care!**

**Harry: Do you-**

**Draco: NOPE!**

**All our LOVE!  
FireStorm and the Dancing Gang**


	22. Updating to disipate my guilt

**::Four days later::**

Blaise was spread across the seats of the train, snoring loudly.

Ron was curled on the floor, also snoring.

Pansy was hanging out the window, smoking into the wind and watching the landscape of Spain pass them by. Hermione and Harry were walking up and down the train, chatting and getting some exercise.

"Excuse me," a little old woman poked her head out at the two teens, "You two seem to be fit young children and I was hoping you could help me get my bag down."

Harry slipped into the compartment and spotted the bag in the over head compartment.

"My nephew put it up there and I haven't been able to get it down."

Hermione stepped in too and watched Harry easily reach up and take the large, surprisingly heavy bag down.

"Here you are."

"Thank-you very much," she sat down, "Please, sit. Why are you kids traveling through Spain, aren't all the schools in session right now?"

"Oh, we've just graduated," Hermione lied, "We're headed to Portugal to visit our friend's grandparents and see the area."

"That sounds wonderful," she smiled. She pulled out some sandwiches wrapped in clear-wrap, "Would you like some?"

"Oh they look great," Harry nodded, "I haven't had real food in days."

Hermione rolled her eyes and accepted a sandwich.

"Why are you traveling this way?" Hermione asked.

"I'm going to my sister's house," she answered just as the door opened.

Theo stuck his head in and smiled, "I thought you two would be in here. Listen, the chimney and the logs are being troublesome so I'm going to go keep an eye on them."

"Okay," he leaned over and took a bite of Hermione's sandwich as she answered him.

"That's delicious."

"Thank-you," the older lady smiled.

"Oh, hello," he smiled to her, "I'm Theodore."

"Agatha."

"Nice to meet you," he shook her hand, "I'll see you two later." He kissed Hermione's forehead and left.

"He seems very sweet," Agatha said.

"He is," Hermione nodded.

"Your boyfriend?"

She smiled and nodded again. "Of almost a year, too."

Harry gasped suddenly, "My one year with Draco just went by last week and we completely missed it!"

"Oh my gosh!" Hermione gasped too.

"What?"

"I just had my one-year anniversary with my boyfriend but we both completely missed it," Harry explained.

"How?"

"We had some drama and kind of broke up for a few hours and then, well, things were really weird for a little while."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"What should we do?" Harry asked Hermione.

"You know," Agatha said, "The most precious gifts are ones that do not cost the most money, but express the most love." She stood, "I'll be going now," and she left the compartment.

Harry and Hermione exchanged looks.

Four hours later they all jumped off the train. The Atlantic Ocean sent a strong wind towards them and they just stood there for a moment before walking out of the station and onto the beach.

"Where to now?"

"Wizarding boat station."

Pansy lead them into a small town and into a pub.

"Buenas dias senorita," the man behind the counter nodded to her.

"Buenas," she responded and led her friends through the bar and into the tiny courtyard behind it. Iron gates covered in vines and flowers greeted them while the ground lay littered with broken bottles of Fire Whiskey and Ice Gin.

Pansy pushed some vines from the way and revealed a bustling street with Spanish wizards and witches. "Welcome to El Brujo."

They walked in and looked around.

A tall boy with green eyes and a nose that looked as though it had been broken four or five times walked over to them, "Hola amiga," he pulled Pansy into a hug.

"Hi Amerux," she pulled away, "We need to get to the family island."

"Imotili?"

"That one."

"Why?"

"Your cousin Lucia is holding our friend hostage."

"Dios mio, you're lying right?"

"No."

"This way," he turned and led them down the road and out the far end, right onto the beach. A pier stuck out into the water with several boats waiting there. They were partially gondolas and partially Viking ships, about the size of the former and with the dragon-like design of the latter.

He climbed aboard one with red and black designs and struck the bow with his wand. It immediately set off; flying fast and smooth across the surface.

Harry watched as a small, black shrouded island came into view.

"Home," he said and turned to smile at them, "She'll be in the Eastern Castle," and the boat moved towards the eastern side of the island.

A building appeared but Harry would not call it a castle.

The boat pulled up to shore and Amerux helped them onto the island.

"Be careful," he said, "She's a crazy punta."

"Got it," Pansy nodded, "Thanks for the help."

He sat down in the boat, "I'll wait here for you."

They walked up the small hill and pushed open the doors to the house.

"I wondered when you would show up," they turned to see Cuida standing half in the shadows.

Six wands were drawn and pointed at the Spanish woman.

"Give Draco back and we won't kill you," Harry snarled and stepped forward.

"Oh, you can't kill me," she said and smirked.

"I wouldn't take that bet," Harry said and shot a curse at her.

She whirled out of the way and showed her teeth, "Nice try, child."

They all began firing spells at her.

Draco looked up from where he was poking the floor. Shouts were ringing somewhere above him.

"Damn," he muttered and stood.

He could feel magic running through the house and the bell jar that trapped him.

Someone had come to save him.

He laid his palms against the wall and tried to push with no success.

**::Hogwarts::**

"What's wrong with our son, Narcissa?"

"He is the Keeper."

"I thought Draco was the Keeper…"

She sighed, "I was afraid this might happen. Draco needed the gift, he filled with emotion and that initiated his heritage but Chael was meant to get it. That is why so much raw magic has been entering this world; it is confused and being pulled between our son and Draco. One of them must renounce the gift in order to stabilize everything."

"Well," Severus looked at his son, "Draco is missing right now so I can't imagine he can renounce it right away."

"Right," she nodded, "I should go take care of that."

"Wait," he reached out for her, "Will you be back?"

"No."

"I-"

"I'm sorry Severus; it was hard enough to say good-bye once." She apparated then.

"Damn." He swore and looked at Chael.

The baby blinked a few times.

**::Back in the Bell Jar::**

"Draco?" The statue appeared, seven inches tall.

He whirled around with a scream, "Mom?"

"Hi baby," she smiled. "Look, I'm not going to try and explain this but I need something from you."

"Anything."

"You have to give up being Keeper."

"Why?"

"It's just not your place, honey. You were never intended to become Keeper and did as a mistake.

"Oh."

"If you don't give it up your brother may get hurt or even killed. He's not as strong as you and the raw magic is already having problems with the existence of two Keepers. Please, Draco."

"Of course," he nodded, "What do I need to do?"

"Let it go," she said and he watched her for a moment and nodded again.

"Okay, but hey, mom, what are you doing here?"

"I came back to help you with some things." She smiled. "Here," with a wink the bell jar shifted until one side was over the edge of the marble slab.

"Are you leaving now?"

"I am."

"Can't you stay?"

"No," she shook her head, "But listen, Draco, I know things have been hard for you what with my death, your brother, father, Severus and friends and everything seems crazy. Just remember they're all trying to make it through too…"

"I guess," Draco ran a hand through his hair. "I just wish it was easier."

"I did not raise you take the easy way out," she said, "You're a Malfoy and my son, remember that."

She disappeared again and Draco nodded and sighed.

He walked to the edge of dropped to the ground.

Harry glowered.

Cuida was laying on the ground, wrapped in cords and petrified but she was still give them the nastiest looks.

"Where is he?"

She smirked.

"Dammit."

"Come on," they began walking through halls and opening doors while Pansy stayed with Cuida, smirking more evilly than anyone thought possible.

"HEY!" Draco leapt out of the way as Harry trudged through the dungeons.

"Holy shite, Drake?"

"Yes, it is me." He crossed his arms and stared up at his boyfriend.

Harry knelt and picked him up. "You're cute when you're a half-foot tall."

"Douche hat."

"Let's get you back to size."

"You're a jerk," Harry carried them back to the entrance where he saw Pansy standing with four Aurors and Amerux.

"Take it away."

They levitated the woman and left.

"Find him?"

"Yup," Harry showed Pansy and she grinned.

"He's so cute when he's a half-foot high."

"I hate you," he glared.

"And vicious," she smiled.

"Just resize me and let's get home so I can drink away the feeling I have that I'm covered in something gross."

"We can't-" Hermione and Theo walked down the stairs and stopped when they saw tiny-Draco. "He's so cute!"

"SHUT UP!"

"He's even feistier at seven-inches." Hermione giggled.

"Resize me or I'll eat all your thumbs off," he growled.

"You must really hate being tiny." Harry smiled, "Here," he set the blonde down. "Hermione, fix him."

"Sixicus," she touched her wand to him.

Draco glared as his body expanded to his normal five foot ten.

"Thank-you," he dusted himself off. "Now take me home."

**::Wizengamot::**

A new set of men sat on the benches looking down at a smug and untouchable Lucius Malfoy. These new men had been instated following a series of terrifyingly suspicious accidents that caused all seven of the originals to resign.

"Will you be dismissing my case?" he asked though it stood as less of a question and more of a command.

"We have looked into the matter thoroughly," an eager and slightly oblivious young man said, "And have found evidence supporting the char-"

"This case," the head judge interrupted, "Is dismissed."

Lucius stood and took his cane from the elf near his elbow, "I trust I shall never have to see or speak of any of you men again."

"Of course," they agreed.

Lucius smirked and walked out, allowing for the men to sigh in relief.

He arrived again in Krakow and seated himself heavily in his chair. For the hundredth time that year he poured himself a stiff drink and opened an album of photos so he could see her again.

**::Hogwarts::**

The statue appeared again in its place and before she left Narcissa carefully carved a message into the stone of her pedestal.

_"All those I ever loved were snakes. I guard their den so I may always be close to them."_

* * *

**Thank you so much for reviewing**

**also I'm SO SORRY about this chapter**

**my computer broke and I also got unispired **

**I feel really bad**

**but please, don't give up on us just yet, there's still some life to this old girl!**

**Draco: Seriously, please**

**Harry: I want a naaaaaaaaaap**

**Blaise: Yeah, me too**

**Theo: I want a cracker!**

** Pansy: Ooh! Ooh! I want a pony!**

**FireStorm: I'm not Santa Claus and it's not Christmas time, dumb heads**

**Hermione: I want a new book and a pretty dress.**

**Draco: I want a stripper pole!**

**::uhhhhhm?::**

**FireStorm: no, no, no, no and omfg NO to the stripper pole**

**Draco: DAMN!**

**Sirius: I just LOL'd **

**Remus::sigh:: why did I shack up with you again?**

**Sirius: Because I'm good in bed.**

**Harry: Excuse me while I kill myself**

**FireStorm: I too, just LOL'd**

**LOVE!  
FireStorm and the Gang  
**

_  
_


	23. BABIES BABIES BABIES BABIES

**::Hogwarts (still)::**

Theodore threw himself onto the couch and groaned. "Damn."

Draco was locked in his massive bathroom trying to scrub a layer of skin off while Harry was in the kitchens getting tea and assorted other drinks for everyone.

"To sleep!" Blaise giggled and sprawled across the floor in front of the fire.

Ron made a loud noise and agreed by falling on top of the skinny Italian.

"Well played," Pansy rolled her eyes.

She walked to the window and pulled it open, smirking as she stepped onto the tiny balcony. "Be back in a few," they knew she was smoking another cigarette.

Theo smiled at Hermione even though one arm was thrown over most of his eyes. He lifted his arm and motioned her into his grasp. She obediently spread herself across him and put her head in the crook of his shoulder.

She hummed and sighed, smiling and relaxing as the warmth of his form crept into her.

Harry walked in and saw the many sleeping bodies. He laughed and set down the drinks so he could slip into the shower with his favorite snake.

Draco was, as always, singing in the shower and dancing just a little. Harry silently stripped down.

"_Oh baby, do you know what that's worth?_

_Oooh, heaven is a place on earth!_

_They say, in heaven, love comes first_

_Oooh, heaven is a place on earth!" _ Draco sang and Harry slid into the shower and pinched the blonde's butt.

"OH!" He spun around, "Harry!" and he put his arms around the other boy, "Fancy meeting you here."

Harry laughed, "What were you singing?"

"Duh, only the best muggle song ever."

"Okay, I disagree," Harry began to soap his hair, "There are MUCH better songs out there."

"No way."

They laughed. Draco leaned against Harry and kissed his collarbone and they rested against one another.

"Today was awful," Draco said, "That crazy lady had me in a bell jar and all I could do was sit and hum and play a game I invited called "Count to 100 then down again" which isn't super fun."

"What do you do?" Harry asked.

"…You count to 100 and then down again," Draco said, giving him a strange look. "What else would you do?"

"I don't know, you're sneaky like that."

Draco had the nerve to giggle, "I am kind of a sneaky bitch."

Harry laughed too.

Outside on the couches Hermione was trying to sleep to the thumpa-thump of Theo's heart but something told her something was wrong.

She sighed and inhaled deeply of his scent.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I don't know, I feel weird."

He frowned, "Run a wellness spell, maybe all the travel has worn you out."

"Good idea," Hermione stood up and rummaged for her wand. "I'll be back in a minute," she went into one of the bedrooms and cast the spell. It checked every part of her to find what, if anything was wrong.

"Head/Mind/Senses: Fine…Limbs/Digits: Minor abrasions…Torso/Internal Organs: Hungry…Reproductive Status: Pregnant…Muscles: Tired…Bones: Fine…Nerves: Frazzled."

Hermione didn't hear anything after _that_ word.

"!" she tried to cover her squeal but hardly could.

Theo poked his head in, "How are you?"

She turned to him," Uhm…"

"What?" one of his eyebrows went up.

"Theo…I'm-"

"What?" He walked to her, concerned.

"I'm pregnant."

"!!!" He looked overjoyed, a distinct difference from Hermione's appalled and slightly upset. "Really? Oh my god, 'Mione, we-" he stopped suddenly. "We're still in school."

She nodded. "What will we do?"

He thought for a moment. "It's almost November, so you aren't due until July or August so we don't have to worry about the baby in school but…you'll definitely be showing by graduation and maybe even by Christmas." He bit his bottom lip, "We should probably tell your parents right away and…I dunno, do you suppose they'd prefer us to be married or…?"

She shrugged, "I don't know…we've never talked about it."

"What would you prefer?" he asked.

"I-I don't know. What's do pureblood traditions say about this?"

He thought about it. "Generally; if it's the girl you're marrying anyways you just move up the wedding and if it is some other girl you pretend it didn't happen or that she's a whore and the baby isn't yours." He was quiet for a second, "We're not very classy sometimes."

She laughed, "We should talk to our parents about this and our friends and then we'll decide."

"Pansy will know what to do."

Hermione nodded slowly. "Of course she will."

"Are you okay…with this?"

"It's just…a little shocking."

"Yeah," he put his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head, "It'll be okay though, I promise."

She nodded.

**::Severus' Quarters::**

"Hi baby," he greeted Chael, "How are you?"

The baby looked at him, then made a noise and turned back to the blocks he was stacking. Severus examined the blocks and smiled. Then he looked at the crescent mark on Chael's forehead.

It was slightly red and more apparent but did not look like it was causing him pain.

He sighed.

"You'll be okay, right?"

Chael looked at him again and though he had nothing intelligible to say he seemed to give the affirmative.

He went to his chair and began to read, listening simultaneously for any noise of distress from the baby. This was how his evenings went.

**::Pansy's Room (and several hours later)::**

The walls were black. The only relief from the heavy color was the photos tacked sporadically to the walls. Mostly they were black and white but that was better than nothing. Hermione examined one photo for a moment.

Theodore and Pansy were walking through the middle of a crowded bar, his arm around her shoulders. Theo had a cigarette between his lips and was laughing with someone while Pansy carried a shot of tequila and a lime. Hermione smiled. They were still photos and offered tiny insights into the life Theo had before she met him. Hermione was curios about it.

Others were of Draco and Blaise passed out or dancing or sitting under showers of cherry blossom petals. She saw Theodore working on a huge equation and reading books all the while smoking or drinking.

"Pansy?" Theo yelled for her.

"What?" the bed grumbled and spat up the black haired girl.

"We need advice," he said and Pansy grabbed a shirt from her dresser.

"Fine, fine." She walked to her lounge and sat down in her chair. "What is going on?"

"Mione's pregnant."

"Oh." She tapped her index finger to her bottom lip, "That's a situation."

"We know," Theo sat down, "What should we do?"

Pansy bit her lip and thought, "Tell her mum and dad, first. Then you should talk to Severus, get some baby-handling advice."

"Okay."

"You should probably make the decision about whether you want to get married or raise it out of wedlock or what."

Theo nodded and looked to Hermione who, instead of paying attention, was looking through photos.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"I'm just realizing how little I know…about you."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm going for cocoa, feel free to stay in here and talk as long as you need," Pansy excused herself from the situation.

"Look," Hermione showed him the album, "Where was this? Who is that girl? How old were you?"

Theo was on the beach with a gorgeous blonde girl and a massive castle sat in the background.

"That's in Monaco," he took the album, "That's one of Draco's relatives, her name is Miranda…she was showing us around and we became friends. I think this was, like, two years ago."

"What about her? Where is this?"

"That's Jenna, a girl I went to primary with. I think this is at Sola Sola, a club in Rome."

"Have you smoked your whole life? What's your mother like? Where did you grow up? How old were you when you first did magic?"

"Mione, calm down," he frowned, "It is okay, listen, I know you must be freaking out but we have time to learn all that. We have time."

"Tell me," she said, "I feel like I don't know you at all."

"Well," he paused, "My mother is…weak. She's always scared and can't do much for herself, she's terrified of my father and of me and…everything it seems. She hates to leave the house and spends most of her time doing needle point or redecorating or drinking. She drinks a lot even though none of us talk about it much because we know she does it out of fear, not necessity. She's sort of infertile and I was…a fluke or something but she also thinks that that has tied her to my father forever and sort of resents me for it. I grew up with my nanny in the South End of London but I met Draco and Blaise when I was two at a big pureblood function in Wales. We became really good friends and just…things worked out for us. I don't know when I first did magic, I've always been able to, I think. I don't know really."

"Have you smoked your whole life?" she asked again.

"Since I was about twelve," he said, "Since the war got too close, since things started to scare me. You-you don't want to know some things about me, Hermione."

"I do, Theo, I really do."

"Really?" He frowned.

She had never seen him, chilled and shaking on the tile floor at dawn.

She never saw his wide, heavily bagged eyes from being unable to sleep for day.

She did not spot the bruises from falling down stairs, passed out cold.

She was not there when his nose bleed for hours through the night.

She could not understand the pain of dry heaves when you had not eaten in three days.

She would never want to know or hear or understand that. He slowly remembered the bag of white dust he still had hidden in the bottom of his dresser. He slowly remembered his carton of Magic Blacks and how his shoulder hurt sometimes from an old injury where his father threw him into a wall. He remembered his eighth birthday and how his father called him weak and locked him in a closet for three days. He remembered his fear and how he had walked for two weeks in an attempt to escape but his father found him again and made him live outside, chained to the house like dog.

"You really don't want to know," he warned her, "It's not…good."

"I don't care," she said and took hold of his hand, "We're having a baby, Theo and we need to be honest with each other."

**::Remus and Sirius::**

Sirius sipped some tea and rolled a sugar cube around in his mouth. "Remy?"

"Yes dear?"

"Do you suppose we could…I don't know…do something fun?"

"Of course we can."

"Good!" Sirius grinned. "Let's get drunk and sing karaoke!"

"Kara-what?" Remus could not finish as Sirius dragged him into the fire place.

* * *

**Okay AWESOME**

**I apologize every time I do this (by "this" I mean go a long time without updating) but it always happens again and I _am_ sorry but high school is kind of a slut, not going to lie. Senior year especially is super hard. It's almost finals which doesn't help _and_ college apps have been due and things are just hectic. Not an excuse but please understand.**

**Harry: PANDA BEARS**

**FireStorm: uhm...yes...pandas**

**Harry::singing:: IF I WERE A PANDA I WOULD EAT BAMBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO **

**Ron::also singing:: IF WE WERE KOALA BEARS WE WOULD BE HIGH ALL DAAAAAAAAAAAAY**

**Draco: Oh Merlin they make me want to die!**

**Blaise: Maybe if we get really drunk they won't be as awful**

**Draco: Harry will still be an atrocious singer and Ron will still sound like a cat being gutted with a fishing hook but it will be slightly more tolerable.**

**Blaise: Let's get crunk!!**

**FireStorm: Woot woot!**

** LOVE FROM ALL OF US!  
FireStorm **


	24. The Holidays

**::Hospital Wing::**

Hermione sat on one of the beds picking at a chipped nail and trying hard to not be nervous. Draco and Blaise were arguing about colors for the baby shower while Ron and Theo and Harry were laughing about something…probably Quidditch. Pansy was in with Madam Pomfry right now having an exam done, something about monthly check-ups since her European tour to make sure charms or hexes weren't taken a delayed effect.

Hermione coughed a little and then looked at the walls. She never realized how boring they were. How did Harry survive spending so much time here? Didn't he get bored? She assumed he spent most of his time sleeping or being bothered by Dumbledore, Pomfry, McGonagall and Snape. She sighed and looked at the floor and her shoes.

"I say we use pastel green and yellow, gender neutral," Draco insisted, "We don't want to pimp the little bugger into being anything it isn't."

"Considering that Theo is a Knott and the Knott's always have a boy first I think it's safe to say it's a boy."

"But green and yellow are _much_ prettier than that overused pale blue."

"I agree," Blaise admitted, "Why don't we have it white themed?"

"Don't you think that's a little strange considering she's not a virgin? It's a baby shower, not bridal shower silly."

"What about a pale orange?"

"Did you seriously just make that suggestion?"

"What?" Blaise made a face. "It's a perfectly reasonable su-"

"Mr. Zabini," Dumbledore stepped into the Hospital Wing, "I'd like you to come to my office for a few moments."

Blaise rolled his eyes and left with everyone watching him.

"What do you suppose that's about?" Harry asked, taking Blaise's now empty spot next to Draco.

"Probably something about the prostitute's body we left in a cupboard…hmm."

"What?"

"Kidding," Draco patted Harry's knee, "Just kidding…sort of," he muttered under his breath, "I really have no idea," he said cheerily, "Maybe we get to plan another dance!"

"Oh Merlin," Ron shuddered, "Please let that not be it."

"You enjoyed that dance, admit it," Draco said and looked at Ron from under his new bangs.

Ron shrugged, "It was a good time, I guess."

Madam Pomfry came out with Pansy slowly following. "You'll need to come back tomorrow," the woman eyed her warily, "I'll fix…that."

"Thanks." Pansy scratched her forearm. Hermione looked at the spot, it was a little blue mark from a magical test of some sort.

"Have a good day, Ms. Parkinson and please, no more smoking."

"Of course," Pansy nodded and began to walk back towards the group.

"Ms. Granger," Madam Pomfry motioned her over. Hermione obediently stood and walked over.

"Yes?"

"So you're pregnant?" She looked over the Gryffindor.

"Yes ma'am." Hermione kept her eyes down.

"All right, let's check you out."

Theodore waited patiently with Pansy. Draco and Harry sat across the way, holding hands and quietly listening for any indication of how things were going.

"Do you suppose she's ok?" Theo asked.

"She's been preggo for a month, Theo," Pansy said and took a deep breath, "She's fine."

**::Two Months Later::**

"How is the baby?" Theo rested his head against her stomach. Hermione shrugged.

"Fine, I think."

"Good," he smiled and placed a little kiss where his head used to be.

"Where's Pansy?"

"Around," he said and looked towards the door. "I think she's off with Draco and Harry."

Hermione smiled and continued to read.

**::In Hogsmeade::**

"What should we get the baby?"

"I think a mobile for over the crib would be best," Draco said. "I have one in mind, actually. It has little pegasi and sphinx and dragons."

"That'd be good," Harry nodded, "I like that."

"What do you think Pansy?"

"Sounds fine to me," she smiled.

More and more she had been putting in effort to be normal. She tried to smile and joke like she used to. Draco could see something broken though. It was deep and hidden but it was obvious she had to work to be normal.

It made him sad to think of her, altered in that way.

Draco and Harry were happy. They held hands and shared smiles. It all seemed quite normal. They were functional together. It felt natural.

Draco missed his mother quite thoroughly but Chael was a good baby and Severus was doing well with him.

**::Three Weeks Later::**

"Here," Draco handed Hermione the next big box. It was Christmas break and they were gathered in a parlor of the Malfoy manor. It was a pretty room and thanks to Blaise it was even better looking.

Hermione sat at the head of the circle, all her friends made it up. Draco, Harry, Blaise, Ron, Pansy, Theo at her side, Ginny, Neville, Remus, Sirius, Snape and Chael, and her mother and father.

Everyone watched with smiles as she opened the silver wrapped present.

They had gathered and had tea, finger sandwiches and fruit. They had caught up and talked about the baby. How she was doing and what they would name it.

"What is it?" Ginny leaned forward, excited.

"Oh, it's a book!" Hermione squealed in excitement. She pulled it out. It was a large though not thick leather-bound volume with golden writing on the front. _A Fairy's Tales. _

"It's a book of tales from the fairy king himself," Neville piped up, "I thought you could use it for bedtime stories."

"It's wonderful, Neville," she opened the cover and read the list of stories within. "It's absolutely wonderful," she set it aside and hugged her fellow lion.

Everyone wanted a look at the book and talked about it. Draco became very excited when he saw it contained a story from his childhood. Hermione thanked Neville again and so did Theodore.

"Book!" Chael yelled and everyone looked at him. He had been speaking for a while now though he was only nine months old and that wasn't supposed to happen for another four or five months.

"Good," Snape nodded to his child who laughed loudly at the attention.

"Next one," Draco stood and went to the diminishing pile of gifts. There were so many to begin with, mostly from Mr. and Mrs. Granger and Draco who, for some reason, was more excited about the baby than Hermione.

"What is it?" it was smaller, flat box wrapped in burgundy.

"Open it," Theo nudged her softly.

Inside was a deep red stone on a gold chain. It was carved into a crescent moon and was not very large but quite pretty.

"The Keeper's sign," Snape frowned. "That amulet…if you wear it you're under the protection of the Keeper."

Everyone looked at Chael who giggled blew a spit bubble.

"Who is it from?" Draco searched for card or name. "I'm pretty sure Chael didn't give it."

"Drake," Harry pointed to a little slip of white paper.

He picked it up, "_A child is most precious. This is to keep yours safe._"

Hermione slid the necklace over her head and it rested perfectly near her heart.

"What does that mean?"

"Someone's looking out for you, 'Mione," Pansy smiled, "I think we all know who." She looked out the window towards the Malfoy family graveyard and everyone else looked too.

There were soft smiles all around as people silently thanked the former Keeper.

They finished opening presents and then had tea and chatted about possible wedding plans. Theo shyly said they were discussing that privately and everyone laughed happily for them.

Hermione touched her necklace and smiled happily. Her child would be wonderful. She just knew it.

**::Christmas Day::**

The plan was that everyone would have the morning with their respective families and that evening for dinner there was a party planned at Draco's house. That, of course, meant he'd be running around all afternoon making sure things were ready but the morning was quiet.

Draco woke up wrapped in Harry's arms. The black haired boy was snoring quietly; he always did if he went to bed drunk. Malfoy smiled and nuzzled Harry's chest. Then his brain caught up.

Christmas.

He sat up quickly.

"Wake up!"

Harry snapped to attention, "What? What's going on?"

"It's Christmas morning!" Draco leapt out of bed and pulled on pajama pants and a sweater. "Get up, get up!"

Harry laughed and laid back down, "You're like a child, Drake."

The blonde rushed around, throwing clothes at Harry, "Get up, get up! We have to open gifts! Nik-nak!"

An elf appeared.

"Whats cans I be doings for yous, Master Malfoy?"

"A pot of coffee, black and scones and a huge bowl of fruit and some bacon and lots of toast, sourdough. I want all of that ready and in the tree room in twenty minutes."

"Yes Master," the elf disappeared.

"Hungry?" Harry asked from where he was trying to fall asleep again.

"Yes," Draco walked back over. "Come on, we have presents to open. There are about a hundred for you."

"Liar," Harry smiled.

"You're ignorant. Mrs. Weasley sent something and so did every one of her kids, Hagrid and Dumbledore and Snape and your godfather and all of your friends and mine sent you something, Lucius even sent you a little gift, I think."

"Fine," Harry sat up, "I'm up."

"Good," Draco kissed his cheek.

"Is there anything from you under the tree?" Harry asked.

"Nope," Draco laughed.

"You little liar," Harry raced after him and wrapped his arms around the boy, lifting him into the air. "Didn't you learn manners when you were young? Didn't anyone tell you not to lie?"

Draco laughed, "I'm a Malfoy, Harry. I was taught specifically how to lie."

Harry smiled and kissed the boy's neck, "Let's go downstairs."

They walked, hand in hand, to the staircase and then they went down into a high ceilinged but rather small room. There were couches and a small table now laden with food. In the Malfoy house there was a huge pine in the foyer but this smaller, personal tree for gifts and the immediate family.

Harry and Draco had spent a few days making ornaments and garlands to hang on it. Some were photos framed by snowflakes, there were candles with their names, dancing polar bears, red and green dragons, glittering stars and reindeers. The garlands were small strips of paper in different colors, made into rings and linked together. It was wrapped around the tree and added a handmade warmth.

Draco cuddled next to Harry and they looked at the hearty stack of presents. Draco had told everyone to wrap Harry's presents in red and his in green. The two colors were all intermixed. Somewhere in the pile sat a silver box for each of them from Lucius because he never did as he was asked.

"Let's get this show on the road," Harry smiled and elves appeared and sorted the presents, making a stack near each boy. Then they disappeared, leaving the masters of the house to enjoy a private holiday.

It took quite awhile before the piles were down to the last few.

Lucius' gift and Harry still had to open Draco's but there was no apparent box from Harry to Draco.

Draco nervously picked up the silver box and slid off the ribbon. Harry did the same.

Inside each box, on pillows of black satin, sat rings.

"Whoa!" Harry was startled.

"It's my family ring," Draco held his up. "My father is giving me the ring."

"What does that mean?" Harry turned his attention from the ring he had been giving, not understanding it either.

"He's giving me control of the estate. Harry, my father is stepping down…I'm Lord Malfoy now, I'm…" Draco was standing, looking at the ring, "I'm the head of the family."

Harry grinned widely, "That's fantastic, Drake. Put it on, I want to see it on you!"

He pulled the ring out.

The family crest sat between two white diamonds on a white gold band.

It fit perfectly on his ring finger and seemed to glow on his hand.

"It's amazing."

"What's yours?" Draco asked.

"I'm not sure."

They sat back down and Harry showed him.

"Harry…"

"What?" the boy was confused.

"That's your family ring."

"What?" that didn't help at all.

"It's your family ring. It's been lost since for a hundred years though. Since well before you were born. There was a schism in your family…something happened, I think. I don't remember exactly but the family ring was lost. Father must have found it! Harry, you know what this means?"

"What?"

"You're the head of the Potter family and that means you can access all your family assets. I mean, your parents amasses a small fortune on their own but really, your family was really well off. They just didn't give your father any since he married a muggle. You have manors and money like you never dreamed, Harry."

Harry picked up the ring and looked at it. His family crest on gold band and words engraved on the inside of the band, "_Perspicuus ut Relevo , Validus ut thunder"_

"What does that mean?"

Draco looked at it. "Bright as lighting, strong as thunder. Your family motto."

He smiled and slid the ring on. A shiver of power ran through his arm and he looked at the ring. It too seemed to glow once on his hand.

"You really owe my daddy now," Draco kissed his cheek.

"I do," Harry smiled. "What's your family motto?"

"_Semper per virus in mentis_," he smiled, "Always with poison in mind."

"Scary," Harry grinned too. "Now I want to know what you got me."

"You'll like it."

He reached down, picked up the gift wrapped in gold and opened it.

It was empty except for a note that said, "Look outside."

Harry looked at his blonde and walked slowly to the window.

There, on the field below, stood a tall, elegant dapple-grey mare. It had a black mane and tale and white markings on its legs.

"You got me a horse?" Harry yelled in excitement.

"Yup," Draco walked over, "Now we can go riding together in summer."

"Oh, Draco, she's beautiful."

"I knew you'd like her."

"Thank-you so much, darling," Harry wrapped his arms around the smaller boy. "You're wonderful."

Draco laughed. "You're welcome."

"I am afraid my gift is less impressive."

They went back to the couch, "It doesn't matter what you got me, Harry." Draco insisted.

Harry looked at him and then swallowed nervously.

"I know that this whole thing started out as a dare from your mum," Draco laughed at that, "But it's become a relationship I can't live without. I don't want to imagine being without you, Draco."

The blonde smiled but realized this was more serious than her originally thought.

"I-I never thought I'd care for someone this way but you've defied my expectations. You surprise me at every turn and I'm never unhappy to be with you. I love everything about you. I want to know, Draco…will you marry me?"

Draco's eyes went wide.

"What?"

"Will you marry me?" Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a little white box and inside was a platinum band, elegant and simple but it was beautiful. Inside the band were words.

_Pro umquam quod umquam , nos sto una._

For ever and ever, we stand together.

"Harry," Draco gasped, "Of course I will."


	25. If Only Love Was Like This

"_Will you marry me?" Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a little white box and inside was a platinum band, elegant and simple but it was beautiful. Inside the band were words. _

_Pro umquam quod umquam , nos sto una._

_For ever and ever, we stand together._

"_Harry," Draco gasped, "Of course I will."_

**::That Evening::**

"Everyone," Draco stood.

The long table was heavy with food and people. It was a large gathering involving all their beloved friends and family. Blaise had invited his half-brother and father and mother, Theo's mother was there sitting happily next to the Grangers and the Weasleys were all present and taking up a good deal of the table. Julian, Azriel, Zav, Remus, Sirius, Snape, Chael and Lucius were there too.

They all looked at him.

Harry stood, smiling. He lifted his glass of champagne and looked at all his friends.

"This morning," Harry began, "Draco and I got engaged."

Everyone gasped and cheered.

"I'm so happy for you," Hermione leapt up and hugged them both close.

"Thank-you," Draco kissed her cheek.

Lucius was almost smiling. Draco saw it and smiled at his father.

There was an understanding between them.

It relieved him that Lucius was pleased.

Perhaps pleased was not the word. Draco was relieved that his father was not angry. That was more appropriate phrasing.

People were bustling about, talking to each other and the now engaged couple.

"DIBS ON BEING HARRY'S BEST MAN!" Ron yelled into the loud chatter.

Harry laughed and walked to Ron's side.

"It was always going to be you, Ron," Harry smiled and Ron hugged him.

"I'm happy for you, man. Drake's a good guy," they looked to the blonde who was being hugged tight by Molly.

"I am lucky to have him," Harry said.

There were congratulations and cheers and dinner was eaten. Everyone shortly retired to the large parlor.

Zav, who was now nearly six now, curled up in front of the fire. Chael crawled over and sat by the boy, looking at him with interest.

"Tell us, tell us," Sirius laughed, "Tell us about these new rings, lads."

Draco looked at his father.

Lucius stood slowly, using his iron can for support.

"I have stepped down as head of the Malfoy family." He said and everyone looked at him in shocked silence, "Draco is now Lord Malfoy."

Julian looked at his cousin. Everyone just stared at the young blonde.

"Merry Christmas, Draco," they raised their glasses to him.

**::January 30****th****::**

"Hey," Draco walked in to Hermione's room. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Hermione smiled. She had a growing bump but rarely had morning sickness. She occasionally had strange cravings, mostly for bacon, and kept off her feet. Other than that the pregnancy was progressing marvelously.

"Good," Draco put a kiss to her temple and smiled.

"Where is Blaise?" she asked, sitting up.

"Around. I think he is meeting with Dumbledore right now," Draco seated himself and pulled out a folder.

"He has been doing that a lot recently," she frowned.

"Not of his own volition, mind you," Draco agreed. "I think it has something to do with his father."

"Really?"

"I can only assume."

"Why would Dumbledore care about Blaise's father?"

"Because Ridex is coming here."

"What for?" she asked, surprised.

"He is going to teach," Draco sighed.

"Teach what?" Hermione was horrified.

"Severus is going to retire. He wants to raise Chael and he thinks that teaching makes it harder for him to do that. Ridex is the best option for replacing him. He's smart, an amazing potioner, charismatic, a Syltherin to the core and a complete tool. He's like Severus but younger and Italian."

"Oh Merlin," Hermione shook her head. "How is Blaise handling it?"

"He's not had a tantrum yet so I imagine he is handling it all right."

Hermione nodded.

"So. Let's plan your wedding!" Draco opened his folder, "Do you have a time in mind?"

"I was thinking before the baby is born," she said, "Hopefully right after graduation."

"Okay," Draco nodded. "Have you thought about exact dates?"

She hummed, "We graduate June third so I think that the fifteenth would be good."

"And a location?"

"Theodore said we could use the manor grounds of his family home. There is a beautiful garden there."

"The west garden?"

"That one."

"You never told me how Theo proposed." Draco commented.

"Oh," she blushed. "It happened a while ago."

"And?"

"We were walking…

**::November 14****th****::**

It was a warm afternoon, unusually warm, in fact.

Hermione was wearing a sweater and a scarf just in case but Theo had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his tie undone. He held her hand and smiled whenever he looked at her.

"What's going on, Theo?"

"Nothing," he smiled wider, "That's the best part, Hermione. We took care of Cuida, the Death Eaters aren't a threat, the Dark Lord was neutralized, nothing is going on. It's amazing, really, how much there is to appreciate in the world when you're not preoccupied with war."

She looked at him and smiled. "You're happy then?"

"Never more so than now," he sighed. "I lived my entire life in fear, darling, now I can live my life in love."

She blushed.

"Hermione," he stopped her walking. "I want to live my life with you."

"Theo, what are you saying?"

"Marry me," he held her hands and stepped close to her. "We're having a child, we're adults and about to graduate. We're heroes and young and there's no one out there who I can imagine loving the way I love you. Just say yes."

She smiled, "Yes."

He kissed her.

**::January 30****th****::**

"So that's how it happened," she shrugged, "Nothing too special."

Draco smiled, "Theo isn't a born romantic."

"But he tried and that's what's important."

"Very true," the blonde bit the tip of his quill. "What more do we want to decide about your wedding?"

"I have been considering colors," she said, "I would like ivory and silver or ivory and gold. Which do you prefer?"

"I have always preferred silver but I think ivory and gold are a better wedding combination."

She nodded and made the note.

Blaise stormed in, "He's hiring my father despite my efforts."

Draco shook his head, "Ridex should not be trusted around children."

"I know! He's abandoned the only two he had and though he and I are speaking, I don't know that I really want him around all the time."

"You invited him to Christmas dinner, Blaise," Hermione reminded him, "Maybe your father is just trying to create a relationship with you and he thinks this is a way to do so."

"I don't like him," Blaise huffed. "It just feels off."

"He just wants to be close to you," Hermione insisted.

"Maybe. But anyways, what decisions have we made about the Knott-Granger wedding?"

They caught him up on the discussion thus far and Blaise cast a firm opinion on the color scheme.

**::February 3****rd****::**

"Hey!" Ron pushed open the door with his butt and then turned to show why his hands were not an option. He had six large packages in his arms. Blaise was sitting on the couch reading but stood to help the redhead. "Okay, so, I was in the Owlery, waiting for a letter from my mum when a swarm of birds delivered all these packages to me. I don't know what they are though."

"I think it's your clothes," Blaise said.

"My what?"

"I ordered you new clothes," he grinned. They sat down and opened the packages. Pants, shirts, sweaters, shoes, belts and scarves were strewn everywhere by the time they were done.

"Why do I have all this?" Ron laughed.

"So we can get dressed up for all the engagement parties and bridal showers we're going to have to go to," Blaise smiled. "Also so we can go on dates to Paris."

"Paris?" Ron looked at him incredulously. "When are we going there?"

"Whenever you want, darling," Blaise grinned.

Ron grinned. "Then we'll be going soon."

Blaise just smiled too. "So…all our friends are getting engaged…"

Ron looked at him, "Yeah?"

"I just want you to know…I'm in no rush to do so."

"Me either," Ron laughed.

"I do love you though," he added.

"I love you," Ron hugged him. "But we're seventeen and though we've had crazy lives I don't feel like I have to marry you right away. I will someday, just not right now."

"Someday?" Blaise quirked an eyebrow.

"Of course," Ron nodded. "When we're older."

"You're sweet," Blaise smiled and hugged him.

Blaise was happy with this. He was young and stupid and he did not want to mess around with getting married. He suspected that just being with Ron was better than having to be, especially at that point in their lives. It was good to know that Ron wanted to marry him.

That was enough.

**::Somewhere within the castle::**

"How are you doing?" Snape stood with his back to the room, searching with mild interest for a book.

"Okay, I suppose. I have been worse recently but I will be fine," Pansy was sitting languidly in a seat, stirring her lukewarm tea with a finger.

"You say that every week, child, yet every week you seem more isolated and paranoid."

"No one can blame me for me caution," she answered with acid.

"No one should," he corrected her, "But fear is best in doses, it is not a way to live."

"I did what I must to survive," she snarled. "It is how I was raised. I suffered to be here, yet now I suffer to stay? What right do any of these children or sheltered, cowardly adults have to criticize me? I died, twice, to win this war. Most of them cast no spells except ones to defend themselves. I am sick of being looked at like an ill baby, I am a Parkinson and that means the same thing it always has; beauty, power and the overwhelming drive to survive. I will do so, Severus, with or without the approval of the world."

He looked at the dark haired girl.

Her sister had left the school, returning to the family home and taking over there as their mother declined in health. Madam Parkinson, of all purebloods, had been deeply affected by the war and now her heart was weak. Pansy herself had been chased after for eight months, running all over Europe and fighting, nearly daily, for her life and watching humans die on a not irregular basis. She had changed. She was more cautious, less trusting, never inebriated and always had her wand in hand or nearly in hand.

She was still beautiful.

She was still a snake.

Now, however, she was scared.

**Well Holy Merlin!**

**It's a semi-regular update!**

**WHHHHHAAAAT?**

**I know, right? I am really bad at this and I don't have an excuse, I just didn't write at this story for awhile. I had a new project going (still do) and that may get uploaded soon. I want to finish it before I start publishing so that I don't have anyone waiting 6 months or a year between updates (SORRRRYYY!)**

**I still love you guys and I still love this story. It's just...taking work.**

**It is moving a lot faster now so soon enough there will be weddings and births and then the end. I am aiming for six or seven chapters tops but probably a lot fewer than that. It's going to be brief but fulfilling, I think.**

**LOVE YOU! **

**~FireStorm  
**


End file.
